Ranger Rendezvous
by willwrite4fics
Summary: BeachHead, CoverGirl, Stalker all head to Fort Benning for Ranger Rendezvous, a week long event. Mystery, romance, comedy and angst. I hope this story has EVERYTHING! Some adult situations. BH/CG Beach must decide if he wants this relationship. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

This fic is based on a very real event held at Fort Benning every other year. It is literally a reunion/rendezvous for Army Rangers, and some aspects are open to the public. Every Ranger than can will appear to participate. Although this fic will show several of the events and is BASED on the event, it is NOT going to replicate anything exactly, nor will it follow the exact nature/schedule of the real life event. Having a couple siblings who were at Fort Benning, I did get a lot of inside information, much of which I used here, some of which I deliberately did not.

No disrespect of any military personnel is intended. This is presented to show what very awesome folks Rangers are, although there will be a few jerks and few whackos.. just like in real life, and just like in GI Joe itself. There will be a theme running through this.. which should become apparent as you read. Also.. this will focus on BeachHead and CoverGirl and their relationship. Stalker(as a fellow Ranger) will also attend and I'm bringing in his comic canon wife Lydia.

NO NAMES ARE OF ACTUAL RANGERS/ARMY PERSONNEL. Many of the names were submitted by readers/reviewers. I will be having a few contests here and there, and the prize will be that you can suggest a name for me to use in the fic. More details when the contests are presented.

As always, I do not own any rights to GI Joe, Army Rangers, or Fort Benning. I make no money from these fics. I hope that you enjoy the fic, I know it's been a long time coming! Thanks for being patient. I made the first chapter extra long, but be aware later chapters might not be as long.

Names: Beachhead – Wayne Sneeden, CoverGirl – Courtney Kreiger, Stalker – Lonzo Wilkinson

Now that you've read through entirely too much "forward", I will let you begin reading!

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Columbus Airport, Georgia

BeachHead hefted his bag and shifted his weight impatiently. "Where's the dang gun cases?" Stalker looked over and shook his head, reaching to tug at the regular Army fatigues they all wore, much to BeachHead's annoyance. "What? We been waiting fer.." He checked his watch. "..fer over twenty minutes." Seeing Stalker tug at his own sleeve, BeachHead resisted the sudden urge to shrug his shoulders to reset his armor that he wasn't wearing. The familiar move to adjust the missing armor wasn't needed and his mood darkened as the unneeded reminder that he wasn't in his normal attire.

CoverGirl walked up dangling car keys at the two GI Joe Rangers. "Got the car." She smirked at BeachHead. "And no.. you may not drive us. I'm driving."

"Fine by me." Beach turned to admire how she filled out her own Army greens and grunted when a airport security officer appeared with a luggage dolly with two large metal cases. "Finally. About danged time." The security officer went through their procedure of checking then removing the airline locks and cutting through the plastic seals before he allowed BeachHead to open each of the two cases for Stalker and he to examine their weapons. Satisfied that everything was in place, he shut the cases and stood up, glowering at the heavyset airline worker. "Took ya long enough ta get 'em out here."

CoverGirl rolled her eyes and addressed the perturbed officer. "Sorry. Really.. he's just cranky. Honestly, thank you for bringing the cases out for us."

Slightly mollified, the security agent nodded at the departing Rangers carrying the cases and bags. "It's okay.. a long flight would make anyone cranky."

She smiled sweetly at him, using her gorgeous eyes to the best advantage to charm him. "Oh.. well no. He's always this cranky.. it wasn't the flight. If he gets too much more overbearing than now, we just shoot him a few times to settle him down. Works like a charm. Thanks so much again!" She waved and trotted after the two men with one of her own heavy bags slung on her shoulder. "GUYS! Wait up!"

Stalker turned to walk backwards watching her rush up to them. "What? Why are you even bothering to run? You don't really think Beach is going to leave without you? Seriously?"

She smiled at him as she caught up and walked beside him. "Well no.. I think Beach would wait for me. He's really a gentleman at heart, even if he hates to ever show it."

Beach snorted from in front of them. "That and you got the danged car keys, Barbiedoll. Ain't no way to go and leave without you lessen I get 'em away from you."

"Thanks so much Beach. You really know how to make a girl feel special." She still felt excited over the week they would be spending at Fort Benning even as her tone sounded displeased to be certain she made Beach understand he'd displeased her. He strode ahead, completely unmoved, as always. "The rental guy said over here." She motioned and led the two men through the exits to the parking lot and quickly located the right kiosk to hand her receipt and the keys over.

Stalker and CoverGirl stood and waited patiently.. Beachhead was occupied with frowning at the pavement under his feet. Stalker reached over to punch him in the arm smartly. "Hey. What's eating you now? We're here. You got to terrorize the flight attendants the whole ride here. Heck.. you made a kid cry in the airport. I'd think you'd be pleased as peaches right about now."

Kicking at a bit of loose pavement, Beach rocked back slightly and finally looked at his fellow Joe Ranger. "I'm fine. I just ain't been to Rendezvous in forever. Dunno who will remember me.. or still be mad from the last time."

Stalker shook his head. "Don't worry over it. You're a Ranger.. you belong there." He inhaled deeply and let it out in a big whoosh. "It sure is nice and warm and pretty. Be a great day when we get to jump."

Beach's face brightened. "Yep. Ain't done no Ranger jumps in a long danged time. Be good." He twisted to look at CoverGirl. "You'll get to see a thousand Rangers all getting booted outa a plane at one time. Ain't many folks get to see a mass jump."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes.. much better to be on the ground watching than up in the plane waiting to jump out." Beach sighed at her and she quickly came up with a question to distract him from her dislike of parachuting. "Will it be a static jump?"

"Yeah." Her tactic worked and the Sergeant major took a few minutes describing the details of how the jump was set up and how it would progress.. proper procedure in arranging jumps of this size.. plus some of how which Rangers were chosen to do the jump.. and what sort of planes they used.. why those planes were better than other planes.. the attendant drove up in the rental car just when CoverGirl was considering stomping on his foot to shut him up.

"Hey! Here's our ride! Sweeeeeet!" She ran around to the trunk as it popped open and slung her two bags in, shoving them to the side so there was space for the gun cases and the men's baggage as well.

Stalker's eyebrows had gone into his beret. "You're kidding me." His eyes roamed over the cherry red convertible Mustang with luxurious leather interior. The top folded back and disappeared even as he watched. "Holy sweet mother. You sure picked out the sweetest ride ever.. I didn't know they rented these cars."

CoverGirl beamed and stroked a hand down the car's flank possessively. "Oh yeeessss.. they do. Isn't she just gorgeous? Wait until you hear the engine rev... I'm gonna push this baby to it's limits and make her sing..." The rental attendant looked alarmed as she plucked the keys out of his hand. She noticed his expression. "Oh! Don't worry.. I got full insurance coverage.. the guy said I only have to return the key and whatever pieces are left." His left eye twitched and his expression turned mournful. "Beach.. put your bags in the trunk! Time's a'wasting!"

BeachHead's left eye mimiced the attendant's and twitched. "Yer kiddin' me. Couldn't ya get a regular car?" Stalker enthusiastically jumped into the back seat without opening the door. "Stalker! Dang it! Tell her to switch out to a decent danged car! Get outa there and stop encouragin' her!"

Stretching his arms out to rest them along the back of the seat, Stalker smiled blissfully. "Oh.. what? Did you say something there Beach? I'm too busy enjoying the fact that my butt is gonna be chauffeured in this sweet sweet car by a beautiful woman. Oh yes. It is good to be me."

Beach's lips twisted around a few times as he computed the odds that he'd win out over both of his companions in demanding a different vehicle. "Fine.. but don't be screamin' in my danged ear when yer convinced she's gonna kill us all on the danged road!" He thumped the duffel bag into the trunk and shoved it further in with a foot. Then the gun case was carefully stacked on top of Stalker's, adjusted so it wouldn't slip around and the trunk lid slammed down securely. He opened the car door and looked at the tank jockey who cranked the engine up and waited for him to get in. "Yer gonna drive under the danged speed limit.. no swerving around.. no antics. Got that, Corporal Kreiger?" His firm no-nonsense tone left no doubt he meant every single word.

She grinned and stomped the gas pedal to make the engine scream loudly. It settled back to the loud rumbling purr and she raised an eyebrow. "Get yer danged ole butt in the danged car, Ranger man." Her mocking of his accent made his frown deepen.

Turning to look at Stalker, he snapped irritably. "Ya gotta encourage her.. ain't ya? Now we're gonna die." He settled into the seat gracelessly and slammed the door. Before it finished clicking shut, CoverGirl turned the clutch pedal loose and peeled out, leaving tire skid marks and smoke to mark her leaving with the prized car. BeachHead calmly fastened the seatbelt and stretched himself slightly, placing one arm up onto the door casually. "Stop sign."

The car slid to a stop exactly at the white line and CoverGirl's perfect face turned towards him with a smirk. "I see it Grandma. Just sit there and try not to fall out."

His resignation was evident in his voice. "That's why Ah fastened the seatbelt, Cinderella." Stalker rushed to click his into place while they were stopped. His expression had become slightly alarmed. BeachHead's expression looked bored.. and as long as no one could see his rapidly rising blood pressure and stress levels, they'd believe that outward expression. Inwardly, he privately told himself that he could indeed hold firm in his nonchalant expression this time.. and not panic at the crazy driving skills of the tank jockey behind the wheel. The little snide inside voice offered to bet him he wouldn't last half of the fifteen minute drive.

When the car braked in front of the motel, BeachHead stared straight ahead for a few seconds before turning to look at the happy driver. "Are we gonna stay stopped?"

"Yep!" Her cheerful voice as she leaned back in the seat and turned the engine off made him twitch slightly. However, he turned his attention back to prying his fingers loose from the edge of his seat. Good thing the girl had gotten full coverage.. he was pretty sure the leather seats would have permanent imprints from his grip on it.

Stalker's traumatized voice came from the back seat. "Can I open my eyes now?"

She twisted in her seat to lean over and give him a pat. "It's fine Stalker.. we're here."

Beach sneered at his friend in the backseat. "I told ya so.. didn't listen to old BeachHead didja?"

"Shut up Beach.. good lord.. I know for a fact this car did NOT fit between those two semi-trucks.. physics deny the ability of two objects to occupy the same space in time. HOW do you ride with her on a regular basis?" He crawled out of the open driver's door as CoverGirl went around to the hood to pet the car.

Climbing out of the passenger side, Beach willed his knees to firm up and took a deep calming breath. "It's bracing.. like when yer racin' into battle. That's the same thrill ya get ridin' in a car with her. Try it in a tank sometime.. she don't bother ta dodge nuthin' when she's in a danged tank."

The ebony skin had finally returned to it's dark hues. "Yeah.. no thanks. I'll stick with roller coasters and parachuting and poking angry ninjas with sharp sticks when they're sleeping.. I think it's safer." He inhaled a few times. "Man."

Going into the lobby of the motel, Beach took in the place. A simple inexpensive motel with the doors to the rooms opening onto the courtyard with a pool.. or into the parking lot... two stories.. if he had his choice.. they had a upstairs room opening into the parking lot. He'd booked the two rooms for both himself and CoverGirl and Stalker and his wife. From the vehicles parked in the lot, he'd guess the place was nearly full.

"Can I help you?" The clerk looked a bit ragged and Beach felt himself grin. Ranger week was a bit hard on the townspeople.

"Yeah. Two rooms.. booked under Sneeden." He waited while the confirmation was looked up and the clerk verified everything that needed to be verified and checked everything that needed to be checked and asked him several things he'd filled out while booking the rooms. Finally he was handed four room keys and told which two rooms he'd been given.. on the first floor. Arguing got him told that at least it opened into the parking lot as requested, all other rooms were full and if he wanted to take his chances somewhere else, he'd better have the best luck in the world, since everywhere was sold out, so he gave in gracefully. That's to say, he didn't attempt to physically pick the guy up over the counter to make his point.

Back out to the car and they moved around to the room to park in one of the few open spots. CoverGirl put the top up while BeachHead handed Stalker a pair of key cards. "Figure out which room ya got.." The two rooms were about 3 rooms apart.. so Stalker checked the one they were parked in front of first.. then sighed and pointed down the walkway. Beach grinned. "Oops.. guess ya gotta further walk to unload!"

Stalker smirked at him. "It's okay.. I'm in good enough shape to carry a few bags a few extra feet. You take the easy room.. wouldn't want you getting all tired out from the extra steps."

Rolling his eyes at the retort, Beach hefted his gun case up and moved it into the room first.. setting it onto the bed furthest from the door near the head of the bed so it wouldn't get bumped off. The last thing he wanted was the scope getting jarred hard enough to be damaged.

CoverGirl hauled her bags in and smiled at the simple room. "Two beds? Beach... really?"

He gave her a blank look. "What? They only had two-bed rooms available. Even Stalker got a room with two beds.. go ask him if'n ya don't believe me." Removing his duffel from the trunk, he dropped it carelessly on the floor and then watched CoverGirl hanging up their dress uniforms in the tiny closet. "Thanks."

"No problem. Can't have our dress greens looking rumpled. Wouldn't be proper." She gave an few swipes to his red beret to remove imaginary dust and set it on the shelf. "I don't really remember seeing you in your full dress Ranger uniform. I bet you're gonna look pretty!" Her smirk made him snort in reply and she came to hug him. "This is going to be a great week. Thanks for inviting me to come along."

"Yeah... well. I wasn't sure I wanted to go in the first place.. but if'n I gotta come attend the silly thing.. I might as well have ya along." He paused and looked aside. "Sides.. I'd miss ya if'n I had to be gone fer a whole week."

Squeezing his ribs as tight as she could, she smiled up at him from his chest. "Awww.. you're being so sweet and sappy.. where's my Beachie?"

"Aww.. I'm gonna break you of callin' me that." He folded his arms around her to hold her delicately. In contrast, she squeezed again until he let out a grunt. "Dang.. gonna break my ribs? Remember I ain't got no armor on."

Laughing softly, she tightened her grip for a few seconds. "Yeah.. gonna snap them like twigs! Big bad Ranger. I bet you're hating not having some sort of body armor on." She let him pull away and watched him lift his bag up onto the bed to begin unpacking. "I mean.. I feel weird wearing regular Army togs.. can't imagine how odd you feel."

He glanced over. "Yeah.. my skin crawls.. makes me feel like someone's painting a target on my back."

"Paranoid Ranger. You're at Ranger Rendezvous! Surrounded by your fellow Rangers... Army base... couldn't be in a safer area. Relax and enjoy yourself." She opened up her own bag to begin unpacking. The drawers filled up with her clothing, mostly army fatigues. A few civilian outfits were hung up or folded into the drawers. Beach's interest was noted when she was pulling out her undies and she dangled a small scrap of silk at him. "You wanna closer look?" He turned the same shade of red as the thong. "Hmm?"

"Naw... Ah'm good.." He turned away and promptly tripped over his second pair of combat boots. "Crap.." Picking himself up off the floor, he shook his head at her query. "Ah'm fine.. really.. naw.."

"I know you're fine, Ranger man.. you're real fine.. " Her amused tone didn't hide her admiration. "Finest Ranger on Benning in my opinion."

"Alright... enough." He tossed the duffel into the bottom of the closet. "I'm done unpackin'. Stalker and I gotta register too." He sucked at a tooth for a moment thinking and then turned to watch her tucking away a last few items. "You wanna come along?"

"No Beach.. I thought I'd sit here in the motel room the entire week." She stretched upwards onto her toes then relaxed. Walking over slowly, she stood in front of him and looked up into his face.

"Are ya gonna snark at me the whole week?" His hands moved to rest on her waist almost by themselves and she lifted her arms to rest them across his shoulders. "You know.. you look good..."

"Really? Even in regular old Army fatigues?" She watched the corner of his mouth quirk upwards. "Or are you imagining that thong from earlier?" He looked a bit embarrassed then, making her laugh softly. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'm wearing the black one right now..."

"Oh gawd.." He suddenly turned her loose and backed up. "I gotta.. uhh.. go register.. yeah." Her wide grin didn't make him any calmer and he began grabbing up his ID and packet of information to tuck into his pockets. "I'm gonna go see if Stalker is ready to go register." He ducked out of the room and she stood and waited the ten seconds before he knocked on the door. Shaking her head she walked over, pulled it open and handed him his room key card. "Thanks."

"No problem.. I'll be right out." The door clicked shut again and she sighed and went to brush out her hair quickly before they walked up to Fort Benning. Staying in a motel less than a mile from the place had it's benefits. Trying to drive the car into the mass chaos of registration day would be an exercise in futility. Much easier to walk it. "Lots to do.. lots to do.."

Smiling to herself, she exited the room to find her two Ranger friends.

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End Chapter

Well, this is the beginning. Hopefully it doesn't suck! Stalker's wife is flying in, don't worry, I didn't forget her! Any questions, please feel free to ask, although if it's a "secret" right now, I might not tell you the answer! I'm hoping to update at least once a week, and yes, if you've been reading the Letters fics, Aunt Beth will show up later on.

Thank you so much for reading! Remember I love reviews!


	2. Chapter 2: Old home week begins

A new chapter, I'm so glad people enjoyed chapter 1. Now you'll get to meet some of BeachHead's old teammates. Thank you for all the reviews! I appreciate them.

Thank you to SPOOKYRCON for the tidbit of Army trivia. BeachHead is pictured with the maroon/red beret, so that's why both Stalker and he will wear red berets. SnakeEyes technically is not prohibited from attending, but he isn't attending due to choice(public events, his dislike of competition, questions about his currant status and etc, wearing a hot latex mask in muggy Georgia weather all would tend to make it a undesirable event for him).

Totenkinder, LadyJaye1, Strapakai.. all seem to believe all will not go smoothly this week. Hmm.. whyever would anyone think that chaos would erupt around BeachHead and CoverGirl? LOL. Good call.

I hope that it continues to please!

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Chapter 2

Walking out of the Benning front office, Beach folded up his papers and rejoined CoverGirl where she waited by a small tree. "I'm registered. Stalker is a few guys behind me."

She smiled, casting her gaze over as a small group of brash young Rangers passed by, eying her appreciatively. She looked back at Beach in time to catch him scowling at them. "Beach.. be nice."

"Ah ain't done nuthin'." His glower deepened as one of the young men turned to look at her from behind.

Reaching out, she patted his forearm slightly. "Stop growling." She watched him shift his shoulders again, that same move to resettle the missing armor. "Stop being so jealous... they're just looking."

"Ain't no reason fer them to be lookin' at nuthin'." His scowl softened somewhat when she stepped a bit closer to him. "They oughta be more respectful."

"It's okay Beach.. young and male.. that means they have to stare at women. Don't you remember being young and staring at women?" His face turned aside but he reached to stroke her arm once with the backs of his fingers softly.

"Hey.. good LAWD! Sneeden is back!" They both turned to the shout and saw a olive-skinned middle-aged and somewhat hefty Ranger walking towards them with a heavy limp. "Yo Sneeden... how the hell you been?" As he got close, he stuck out a hand.

Beach took it and nodded. "Been a while, Sergeant Green." Peering around, he spotted the much smaller man half-hidden behind his friend's bulk. "That Benny?"

Stepping out, the bantam-weight soldier grinned at him. "Who else? How you doing, Beachhead?"

"Alright. Been a danged long while since our unit been together. Down to three of us, I heard." Settling back on his heels, Beach looked the two old platoon members over. The years hadn't been kind to Sergeant Daniel Green.. although Benny looked as skinny and fit as ever. "Ain't no one ever figured out how to grow you up none Benny?"

"Nah.. I eat and eat.. but I'll never get to be as big and fat as you Sneeden." The grin never faltered and Benny gave a quick punch to his stomach, making Beach grunt slightly. "Geez, you sure ain't gone soft none." He shook his hand out some. "Who's the looker?" His nod indicated the blond woman now standing politely several feet away pretending great interest in the tree bark.

Beach turned to beckon her over. "Sorry.. Corporal Kreiger." He waved at the two men who were both smiling widely at her. "This's Corporal Benny Farner.. and Sergeant Daniel Green. They were in my first combat unit when I was young and dumb."

Sergeant Green looked her over and turned to Beach. "Regular Army?" Beach hesitated then nodded. He turned his face to Benny and made a slight sneer before he smiled slightly at her. "Nice to meet a friend of Sneeden's. He never collects many people who can stand him." He ignored the annoyed grunt from Beach.

Her charming smile took both of them in and she shook hands firmly. "Nice to meet you."

Benny stepped about half a foot closer. "Very nice indeed.. you know.. we're both corporals.. nice to have something in common that way, huh?"

Even if her smile didn't falter, the little shift of her shoulders to face more towards Beach told him enough. The darkening scowl on her companion's face told him more. "Yes, funny we're both corporals. Sooo.. you served with the good Sergeant major here?" She turned her face toward Beach and rested a obvious hand on his arm briefly. "He doesn't talk much about his early combat experience. Maybe we'll all have to spend some time together this week."

Giving up, Benny nodded. "Yeah.. we do need to get together. Heck.. we three are all that's left out of our troop now. Gotta stick together. Sarge and me, we're here at Benning. Haven't heard much of nothing about you." He looked at Beach. "Sergeant major?"

"Command sergeant major. Keeps me busy." Beach didn't elaborate.

CoverGirl scoffed at him. "Keeps you busy with paperwork. Anyway.. where is Lonzo?" She turned towards the office. "Should I go check on him?"

Glancing toward the office, Beach shook his head. "He's fine. They're processin' a lotta Rangers." He looked down at her fondly. "Yer jus' an impatient female."

Her fist hit his ribs solidly and made him jerk away. "Big jerk."

"Mosquitoes.." Beach gritted his teeth at the second punch. "Ow.. okay okay."

"Geez.. you getting beat up by the girls now, Sneeden? That's a heck of a switch." The snide voice made them turn. A tall soldier in regular Army greens gave CoverGirl a severe look. "I see that sort of assault on a superior officer again, I'll take your butt in myself, missy!"

Before she could retort, Beach stepped between them to glare menacingly. "Back off, Amore." he growled.

Stepping back slowly, the strange warrant officer narrowed his eyes. "Remember your rank..." He reached to tap his own sleeve. "Don't make me pull rank."

BeachHead's shoulder muscles bunched up and he inhaled slowly. "No sir, Warrant officer Amore." Teeth gritted in anger, he stepped backwards, deliberately using his shoulder to bump CoverGirl further away. "No issues here.. sir."

Taking another step backwards, the officer gave a nod. "See that there isn't. We haven't forgotten your issues, Sneeden. If there's an incident reported this time.."

Benny snapped irritably. "What do you mean, 'this time'?"

His friend grabbed him by an arm and tugged him sideways. "Nothing Benny.. shut up. Let it go.."

Benny tugged loose. "No way, he ain't disparaging no Ranger, especially not one of ours."

"Corporal Farner! Show proper respect for an Army warrant officer." Green nodded at the annoyed officer. "Sorry Mr Amore. We were just taking off." Another nod and the warrant officer turned on his heel and left. "Jackass."

Benny spoke up angrily. "I can't believe you'd let that idiot imply that BeachHead did anything!"

Beach interrupted him. "Shut it, Benny. Sarge is right.. drop it." The smaller man subsided and cast one last glare at the departing officer's back. "He ain't worth the time.. he's just a Army fobbit.. ain't never gonna be nuthin' more than a fobbit.. let him stew. He just won't let the past go."

Benny ducked his head. "Yeah well, that fobbit better be choosing another target." Green cleared his throat and the little man turned to him. "Sorry Sarge, my bad. I shouldn't have said anything after you told me to shut up.. I just can't take the little snot trying to drag up trash."

CoverGirl turned to look at Benny suddenly. "Why do you call him BeachHead?"

"Shoot..." Benny grinned at her, good humor suddenly restored. "We been calling him that since we first taught him how to hang on to his gun. He always was the first one rushing ahead of everyone.. so our CO said one day.. 'he's the damned beachhead.. wherever he lands, attack there.' so we all called him that."

She eyeballed the uncomfortable BeachHead. "Really." She'd dig out of him later how he'd kept his nickname as a codename later on. "We all call him that too... among other less repeatable things."

"Yeah.." Sergeant Green snorted. "We had a lot of names for the little bastard too. For a while at first we all called him 'Ditch'."

Beach suddenly interrupted. "Hey.. there's Lonzo. We gotta go guys.. good to see ya'll." He took CoverGirl's elbow and steered her away. "We'll get together for food or somethin'. We gotta get our rifles sighted in." Ignoring her half-hearted attempt to tug loose, he walked the tank jockey over to where Stalker was folding up his papers. "Hey.. we ready? They said if we hit the ranges now, there's space fer us to get the guns set up instead of us waitin' until tomorrow."

Suspicious at being hustled away, CoverGirl yanked her arm free. "Hey! What was that about?"

"Nuthin'. Jus'... " Beach looked uncomfortable. "We gotta get the guns set up.."

Stalker nodded agreeably. "Yeah.. and my wife arrives this afternoon.. I'd like to be able to spend the afternoon with her." When CoverGirl turned to him to reply, BeachHead finally relaxed and headed down the sidewalk towards the gates.

"I get to meet your wife finally? I bet she's nice!" She fell into step beside the relaxed African-American. "You don't talk about her very much."

Stalker shrugged casually. "She's nice. You'll like her. I gotta figure out how she's getting to the motel from the airport. I thought there would be plenty of taxis and stuff.. but man.. the taxis are overwhelmed by all the people in town. The clerk at the desk back there said don't figure on getting a taxi within an hour of calling."

CoverGirl held up her hands. "I'll go get her! Just tell her to watch for the cherry red Mustang." Stalker looked doubtful. "Really.. it's no trouble. I can go get her while you two guys get your big bad guns all perfect."

Now he sighed. "Well.. I guess. Just... try not to scare her much?"

"Oh.. I'm sure she'll do just fine! I don't drive THAT fast!"

"She's gonna kill me." Stalker sighed and shouted up at the figure striding along quickly. "Beach! Wait for us!"

Turning and waiting impatiently, Beach snorted at them. "Well, ya'll are just lollygaggin' along.."

CoverGirl sighed at him. "It's not a race to the motel Beach."

"Ain't gotta be a race.. but ain't gotta take all danged day. If ya ran my courses half as fast as ya drove, I wouldn't hafta yell at ya as much."

"If you let me drive on the obstacle course, I'd get it done faster." He frowned at her and she sighed. "I was joooking. Making a joke."

"Ha ha. Very funny." He turned to head out at a fast trot. "I'll see you two pogues at the motel.. or pass ya on mah way back." As he settled into his normal lope, CoverGirl and Stalker exchanged looks and then both took off at a sprint. When they blew past him, Beach got a smack in the back of his head from Stalker, and a sharp slap to his rear from Courtney. "HEY!" He broke into a flat out run trying to keep up with them, barely managing. Given ten miles, he'd run nearly anyone into the ground.. but he never claimed to be the fastest runner on the team. From the look of it, his two friends were bent on rubbing that fact in his face. Stalker stayed a good distance ahead of him, while CoverGirl easily continued to pull ahead bit by bit.

Stopped at the gate, she showed her clearance and was passed through, waving cheerfully at her two slower companions as she took off again. Stalker stopped, showed his ID and then took off after her. BeachHead dragged out his own ID to hold up as he slowed to a trot. The MPs waved him through with a few grins at his cursing. He fumbled the ID back into his pocket and sprinted hard to catch up the distance to Stalker. Neither of them closed any distance on the speeding tank jockey ahead of them.

Since it was less than a mile to the motel, CoverGirl kept her significant lead and by the time BeachHead hit the motel room door, it was securely locked on the inside. "HEY! OPEN UP!" He pounded on the door and cursed. Stalker smirked widely at him and slipped his card to open his own room up. Beach grimaced and pounded the door again. "Not funny!"

The amused voice came through the door. "What's the magic word?"

He gritted his teeth. "Extra PT fer a week!"

She opened the door and gave him a disgusted look. "Bully. You're just sore you lost."

"I'm just wantin' to get my danged gun sighted in before the rest of the ten thousand Rangers think of doing their guns too." He went to open up his case and pulled out his rifle and the soft carrying case to slip over it. The smaller bag of ammunition slung over one shoulder and he headed out. She stopped him by clearing her throat loudly. "What?"

"Well, I'm going to the airport to pick up Stalker's wife." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot while giving him one of 'those looks'.

He thought that over. "Okaaaay... be careful driving and try not to get pulled over?"

She sighed at him. "Right." Her foot still tapped and told him he was missing something.

He tried again. "Don't scare the poor woman to death?"

She walked up to him and tilted her face to present her cheek and he rolled his eyes. "Really? Now suddenly Ah'm supposed to go kissin' ya goodbye like a good little boyfriend?" When she turned to retort at him for not wanting to give her a kiss on her cheek, he wrapped his free arm around her to snatch her to him tightly and put her into a liplock for a full minute. When she moaned softly, he stopped trying to swallow her tongue and turned loose. "Does that satisfy ya?"

"Oh.. yesss."

The sultry smile made him give her a grin in return. "You want to hang out here once you bring her back?" Lifting up his rifle, he fastened the straps securely and zipped the opening. Loaded with rifle and ammo, he tucked his calculator into a thigh pocket of his BDUs.

"I guess so. If she wants to stop somewhere, we will. See you when you get back. Don't get into any trouble." Grabbing up her keys, she motioned to the door impatiently. "Get a move on, Beach.. you're holding up progress here."

Rolling his eyes again, he tugged the door open and left, pausing only to let a pack of loudly talking Rangers pass by them before he trotted out of the parking area back towards the base. CoverGirl went to get the flight information and a description of his wife from Stalker before he too left for the gun ranges.

* * *

End Chapter

So now you've met a few of the Benning characters. I hope you enjoy, stay tuned for the next chapter! Thank you for reading!

1st QUIZ QUESTION: ANSWER MUST BE PM-ed TO ME, NOT POSTED AS A REVIEW. First posted answer will negate all later answers, so please don't spoil it for everyone.

Why does BeachHead need a calculator?

PRIZE: You may submit a NAME for a character to be used.

RULES: No characters from GI Joe or other shows will be considered, it must be an original name you think up. Name format should be "John Smith", or "John 'Tiny' Smith" so that you can have a nickname for the character. Your character may only be mentioned in passing one time in the fic, i.e. "Well, you know Tiny Smith was always the best guy on base at golf." I reserve all right to use the name as I see fit, you may not dictate what sort of character it is, or how it is used, so be aware.


	3. Chapter 3: Lydia

It's a new chapter, and yes, now you get to meet Lydia. I based Lydia on the "real" Lydia in the comics. She's not shown much, but when they used her, she seemed about like I'm presenting her. And Stalker likes her!

Thank you so much to the folks who answered the quiz question! All the correct answers have submitted names that I'll use at a later point in the story! Whoo!

And on to Chapter 3...

Pulling up to the airport pick-up lanes, Courtney sighed happily and patted the dashboard of the rented Mustang. "I think I shall name you 'Ted'. You're gonna be a good car.. yes.. you are." Watching for the wife of her friend Stalker, she was approached by one of the airport workers to wave her through. "I don't know if my friend is here yet..."

Before she could continue, he waved her to move on. "Can't block traffic.. go park over in that parking garage, then go inside and check the flight to see if it's arrived, you can't block the lines." His eyes never left her chest, despite the covering fatigue shirt.

Grimacing in distaste, she took Ted into the parking garage and raised the top to park. Striding into the airport lobby, she checked for the flight number against the huge board of ever-changing information. "Arriving... ahhh.. late." Since she'd have at least another ten minutes before the woman would be out in the pick-up lobby, CoverGirl walked to get herself a mocha latte at the coffeeshop. She mostly was unnoticed, but her standard Army fatigues didn't hide her figure enough to remain just another soldier.

"Hey pretty woman..." The voice from yet another brash young male soldier made her turn and raise her eyebrows while sipping the coffee drink. "You have to be the best looking corporal I've ever seen in the Army yet.. wanna be my girl?"

Giving a soft dismissive laugh, she turned aside. "Not even tempting."

"Come on.. you haven't even given me a chance." The guy walked around to in front of her and gave her a wide grin. "I'll bet if you spent a few nights in my bunk, you'd like me a lot.. and I'm totally willing to go through that for at least a week for you to make up your mind."

She switched to a withering look of pity. "Really? I already know the answer. I don't have the extra time to spend on a loser who harasses people in an airport coffee kiosk. Go find a dive bar.. I'm certain that if a woman gets drunk enough, you'll seem attractive. Good luck.. you'll need it."

His face turned angry and he stood a bit straighter, bringing his scrawny height almost as tall as her. "You can't talk to me like that. You ain't nothing but a corporal, same as me! I should teach you to show some respect for a man..."

She stepped up closer to get into his face and speak in the extremely controlled dangerous voice that backed down anyone who heard it. "Look you little fobbit.. I can bench press more than you weigh soaking wet. If you push me, I'll humiliate you in front of this whole airport by kicking you in the nads and duct-taping you to a bench. Do we have an UNDERSTANDING?"

He backed up looking confused. "Geez.. back off GI Barbie. Don't get your panties in a wad." Walking off, he frowned over his shoulder at her. "Guy just tries to be friendly.."

"Suck it, you pogue." CoverGirl sipped at her drink and scowled. BeachHead really was rubbing off on her. She used to be able to put off guys hitting on her with a withering look and a few lines. Now she was just irritated by the unwanted attention and would prefer to kick them in the family jewels a few times until she felt better. Tossing the empty cup, she stretched to release stiff muscles and forcibly relax herself from the tenseness of confronting the stupid grunt.

"He's not worth it.." She twisted to scowl at the calm lieutenant seated at the coffee bar a few feet away. He gazed at her out of placid green eyes, his expression looking awfully amused at her expense. "Just ignore him, I have no doubt you've heard worse. You're too beautiful to not have been hit on before."

"That's none of your business... sir." Hoping that was respectful enough to not get her into trouble, she tried to not look too disdainful at his butting in to her issue.

He smiled just slightly more. "Spunky lass, aren't you?" He watched her eyes narrow. "Don't threaten to bench me.. I might take you up on it."

Her jaw tightened with the effort of not retorting. "No sir. Wouldn't dream of it, sir." Turning slightly aside, she spoke again. "If you don't mind.. I have to go find my friend. Sir." Giving a very correct nod, she waited for the return nod before she spun on her heel and stalked away angrily. Stupid officers always had to act like they were so much smarter or better just because she was 'just a grunt'. That's one reason she liked Beach. He might use his rank to keep everyone in line, but he rarely ever used rank to bully someone.. he'd bully them with sheer lungpower or intimidation.. but rarely his rank.

She did remember one incident where he'd gotten frustrated with the group of new potential Joes and one particularly dense young private who seemed to think that questioning every one of Beach's orders would make him look smarter than the stocky Ranger. When he'd gotten enough from the idiot, Beach had rounded in on him after his latest question to bellow in his surprised face "BECAUSE AH'M THE SERGEANT MAJOR! THAT'S WHY!" There hadn't been any questions after that. Honestly, there hadn't been loud breathing after that.

CoverGirl sighed and began to watch the crowd beginning to filter through the lobby. When she finally spotted a willowy African-American woman with heavy bags, she cut through the people to meet her. "Hey.. Lydia Wilkinson?"

She was given a wary look out of large dark eyes. "Who are you?" The subtle edging away and the way her hands tightened on the bags she held made Courtney smile in a reassuring manner.

"I'm Courtney!" Her voice went a pitch higher than normal and the bright cheerful tone probably made her sound a little bit like an airhead. It definitely made people decide she was harmless. "Lonzo sent me to pick you up. Gosh, you have a lot of bags, can I carry some?" As expected, Lydia relaxed and gave her a hesitant smile back. "I can take two bags.. wait until you see the car, I got this sooo sweet ride.. Mustang in candy apple red.. I named it Ted."

"You named the car Ted?" Lydia's polite smile widened in true amusement. "I thought I was the only grown woman who named her cars."

Ears perking at the interest in the other woman's tone, CoverGirl tried to keep her tone casual. "What sort of car do you have?"

Making a face of distaste, Lydia cast her a rueful look. "Now? A stationwagon.. but I used to have the most gorgeous T-bird.. in midnight blue."

"Ooooooooooo." CoverGirl knew her eyes lit up. "V-8 engine with dual exhaust?"

Lydia's eyes narrowed. "360 horsepower... hmmm. You're not really a blond bimbette, are you?"

"Ooops. No. I'm really not." She smiled shyly at the other woman. "Sorry.. I guess most folks just assume that I am.."

"It's okay. I was just thinking what a long week it was going to be if I had to listen to a dimwitted female tittering at me the entire time." Lydia turned at the corporal's motion to head towards one of the exits.

Sighing heavily, CoverGirl pushed through the door and held it for Lydia. "Oh.. if I was really a twit, Beach would have kicked me out by now. Nothing irritates him more than brainless females."

Lydia's eyebrows rose. "You're BeachHead's aide? You poor thing. Did you get the short straw or something? How did you get stuck coming to this with him?"

CoverGirl felt a flash of annoyance. "I'm not his 'aide'. And he asked if I wanted to come along and I accepted. I'm his uhh.. I'm just his friend."

Lydia watched the younger woman's face. "Just his friend. So you've come across the whole country and will stay here at Benning for a week to hang out with BeachHead? Really? You know.. I've met the man. People don't chose to hang out with him."

Courtney reached to pop the trunk of the car open. "This is the car. You can throw your stuff in the back. For your information, Beach is just fine to hang out with." She dropped the two bags into the trunk and went to sit in the driver's seat and seethe. Who was this woman to disparage Beach? Sure he was grumpy and yelled at people and wasn't the most social guy around.. or well.. if she had to be honest, he wasn't social at all. He preferred people to do as he told them to do and otherwise leave him alone. Still.

The trunk slammed shut and Lydia got into the passenger seat. "Sooo.. you and Beach, huh?"

Looking startled, CoverGirl stared at her before she blurted out. "What do you mean! There's nothing going on!"

"Oh? Not yet?" Lydia seemed utterly composed. "Oh come on. The only way a person is going to hang out voluntarily with that man is if they really really like him. He's not exactly a vacation buddy. Lonzo told me that their CO had to tell him it was a requirement for him to come attend Rendezvous and put in an appearance for special reasons." She smiled at the stunned tank jockey. "Sooo.. are you guys together? Or are you still trying to nail his feet down long enough for him to realize he's supposed to be chasing after you?"

"I uhh.. " She just sat there feeling so out of place and stupid that she couldn't come up with a coherent sentence to explain it all away. "I'm TRYING! But he's SO stubborn!" Then she clapped a hand over her traitorous mouth.

Lydia smiled at her. "See? That wasn't so hard. Of course he's stubborn. It's BeachHead and from the few times I met him, he's seemed to be just about the most stubborn man I've ever met. Trust me.. if he invited you to come along.. you're in like Flynn. Relax, give him space to run around and panic some and he'll settle down. Trust me. I've been dealing with military men for a long time. Lonzo was a bit stubborn at first, but he came around nicely."

"Really? You think so?" She sighed. "I don't WANT to like him so much.. but it just sort of happened and now he drives me crazy. Sometimes I think he does like me.. sometimes it's like he's angry that I'm even bugging him." Inserting the key, she shook her head. "I've had guys trotting around after me since I was a teen and here the one guy I've ever decided I wanted, can't seem to decide whether he's interested or not."

"Well hate to break it to you, girlfriend, but you did pick a hard one. He's an odd duck but I never thought he'd be wishy-washy over a girl if he decided he liked her." Lydia watched the parking garage attendant wave them out. "I'd really expect for him to be pretty straightforward with you. But then, maybe he just needed a bit more pressure. My Lonzo was pretty easy, he knows what he wants and he heads after it until he gets it. Of course.. I didn't run very hard." She smiled at the troubled blond behind the wheel.

CoverGirl took a deep breath. "Well.. I guess it'll either happen or not. You should probably hook your seatbelt." She smiled. "I'm told I'm not supposed to scare you to death with my driving."

Lydia pulled out a set of dark sunglasses to slip on and turned her face towards the tank jockey. "Punch it, sister."

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End Chapter

Now you've met Lydia. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Some alone time

First... thank you for all the reviews, they really do help me know how people like or don't like my OC characters I'm using. I'm so happy that everyone loves Lydia(who is canon)! She might not be a Beach fan, but she's seems like a good honest woman. You can see why Stalker loves her! On to the new chapter!

* * *

They arrived at the motel and Lydia was laughing so loudly that Courtney could still hear her over the squealing of the tires as she braked into the parking spot. "That was AWESOME!" She finally managed to stop. "Oh man.. my boys would love to ride with you.. not that I'd ever allow it, understand.. but that was truly a Mr Toad's Wild Ride, girlfriend!"

CoverGirl was all smiles as she popped the trunk and hefted some of the bags out. "Thanks! Usually the guys just scream and cower in the seats. It's nice to have a real rider with me."

Lydia got the rest of her bags and followed the slender woman down to the room. "Well, the guys are a bit timid that way. They should just let you drive all the vehicles.. I'll bet the transport times would be cut by at least a third!"

They both laughed again and CoverGirl sat on the room's bed(she noted, there were indeed two beds in this room as well) while Lydia cleaned up and unpacked some of her things. Lydia suddenly let out a sigh. "Oh great! I forgot my toiletries bag!" She pressed her lips together in a angry line. "I can't believe it! I packed the WHOLE thing! And I must have left it sitting at home. Well FUDGE!"

Trying not to snicker at her lack of cursing, CoverGirl held up her hands. "Well, the base PX isn't very far away.. no problem if you want to go, we could just run over there and you can get whatever you like."

"Well, I don't want to be a bother.." Lydia did look so relieved that there was no way Courtney wouldn't take her now.

"No bother at all.. let's go.. maybe we'll get back before the guys finish playing with their guns. Besides.. I need a new teeshirt or two. I'll bet there's a couple cool ones. Maybe I'll have to get Beach a new Ranger teeshirt." She smiled and got up, jingling the keys.

"Thanks..I do appreciate it." They headed out, turning heads as the high number of bachelor soldiers would always choose to stop to watch a pretty female.. civilian or Army.

* * *

BeachHead and Stalker were walking back to the motel when a loud horn blew behind them. A lilting voice called out in a flirtatious tone. "Hey.. pretty Ranger boys... you wanna ride in a pretty car?"

Beach turned to yell angrily and was knocked aside by Stalker who jumped into the convertible to wrap the dark-skinned beauty in the front seat up in his arms. "LYDIA!" Beach grumbled softly and walked up to the side of the car. Stalker grinned at his wife. "You got here? What are you two doing over here?"

She laughed and pushed him out of the car. "Get in the back seat.. let poor BeachHead in the car. We're holding up traffic." The two of them arranged themselves in the backseat and Beach settled into the front seat, propping his rifle carefully against the seat and frowning at CoverGirl. Lydia reached to pat the tank jockey's shoulder. "Home James."

"You got it, girlfriend!" CoverGirl smiled at Beach and lifted her new sunglasses to give him a onceover. "You look good, Beach. Get your gun all ready?" She slammed the gas pedal down and sped down the road, making Beach swallow nervously as he saw the upcoming cross street.

"Street.. cars... Kreiger.. watch the.. " He shut his mouth as she braked, reaching out to brace himself against the dashboard. "My gun is set. Thank you fer askin'." His breath caught slightly as she slammed the gas to take off again, the wheels squealing against the pavement. "Easy.. ya ain't gotta fly under the danged radar..."

"Hush up and let me drive." She grinned as the engine roared. "Shooting competition day after tomorrow, right? Can we come to see that?" She swung around the curve and watched out of the corner of her eye as he braced one hand on the dash and grabbed the door in a death grip with the other. "Lydia is great, by the way. We went by the PX. There's a ton of stuff.. I could shop for a couple hours there."

Beach gritted his teeth and tried to answer in a calm tone of voice. "Ya'll can come watch parts of the shootin' but it's over a obstacle course too. Yer welcome to see the jump tomorrow though..." He inhaled sharply. "Pedestrians... fer gawd's sake don't run down that major.."

"Oh for pete's sake Beach.. calm down. I've never run down anyone that I wasn't trying to run down." She swerved just slightly and missed the small group of officers by at LEAST a full foot. The rearmost one jumped and squawked, glaring after them. Lydia laughed at his face and waved out the back at them.

Her call back to them made them frown harder. "Sorry guys!"

Beach put a hand over his eyes. "Oh gawd help me.. ya'll are gonna get me in trouble yet. It's the first danged day.. could ya try not to get me arrested before at least I get to jump?" He winced as they whipped into the parking lot and swung into the spot in front of the room. "Yer crazy, Kreiger. Besides.. you really should have driven more carefully.. you might have terrified Miss Lydia."

Everyone climbed out of the car and the two ladies grabbed bags up. Lydia gave BeachHead a slap on his arm. "Oh don't try using me as an excuse you big wimp. I'm fine with a little bit of daring driving. Makes a girl feel alive! Besides.. I'm sure Courtney doesn't get to drive exciting vehicles like convertible Mustangs very often." She smiled over her shoulder at them as she followed her husband down to their room. "It's not like you military men let her drive tanks or things like that!" The couple disappeared into the motel room and Beach turned a extremely annoyed look on CoverGirl who held up her hands defensively.

"I swear I have not said a word to her. Honest, Beach. You know I don't blab to civies." She waited while he thought it over. "Just a coincidence, I swear."

He nodded. "Alright.. you ain't never been one to leak information no how." Nodding towards the door, he flipped out his room card and opened it up. "You girls got everything ya need with all yer shoppin' then?" His rifle was settled back into it's case.

"Yep.. got everything. Lydia accidentally forgot her overnight bag.. so she had to buy several things.. the essentials you know." He blinked at her. "Soap... make-up remover.. brush.. comb.. toothbrush.. that sort of thing?"

"Oh. Gotcha." Beach rubbed at his shoulder a little and Courtney stepped over to stroke up his arm.

When her hand got to the ball of his shoulder, he winced just slightly and pulled away. She peered at him. "What's wrong?"

"Shoulder is sore. Stiff from sitting in that stupid plane fer hours, then I put a lotta rounds through my rifle.. wanna make sure it's perfect." He rolled his shoulder a few times trying to stretch it. "It's fine."

CoverGirl smiled and reached to push him backwards. "Well.. let me help you with that.." He stepped back when she crowded him and bumped into the edge of the bed and tumbled backwards onto the bed. "There you go.."

"Hey! Back off! What are ya doin'?" His hands came up to fend her off as she reached for him. "Stop!"

"Oh good lord, stop being such a baby. Roll over." He pushed her hands aside and finally grabbed her wrists. "Beach! What's wrong with you? Roll over!"

He held firm to her wrists. "Why?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her and she sighed at him. "No.. I don't.. uhh.. I..."

She leaned over him, resting her weight on her captured wrists he still held up and away from him. "Beach.. I'm not trying to molest you. I'm offering to rub your shoulder out for you. You know.. massage the knots out of your back?"

He blinked at her. "Oh.. ahh.. yeah.. that's nice of ya.. really.. but.."

"But what? Roll yourself over and relax." She waited and he hesitated and thought about it a moment. When he released her hands, she stood upright and tossed her hair back over her shoulders to get it out of the way while he arranged himself facedown on the bed. "There you go.. just relax." Climbing up on the bed on her hands and knees, she straddled his hips and tried not to think about the muscled rear under her. "Pull off your shirt. It'll be easier to work on your back." He twisted and dragged the teeshirt off over his head and wadded it up to toss at the chair. She rubbed her hands together and gazed at the sheets of muscle shifting underneath marred skin. "Lie still and relax."

"Yeah..." He shifted around one last time and finally settled.

Her hands touched down and she felt him jump under her touch, the twitch running across one shoulderblade before he stilled again. The bundles of muscles felt tense and hard under her palms and she rolled her palms carefully across the various muscle groups repeatedly. "Beach.. please.. just relax.. I promise I'm not going to DO anything."

"I am relaxed.." Even though he protested, she saw him twist slightly and then his back softened as he allowed himself to un-tense. She began to knead the knots out of each area carefully, causing him to let out soft grunts and groans as she hit especially sore spots. Working her way up to the kinks in his right shoulder, she pressed her knuckles into a particularly bad knot and he jerked under her. "Ow.. take it easy.."

"Relax.. it's got to hurt a little. I thought you were tough." She smiled as he grumbled under his breath. Rolling her knuckles back and forth slightly, she eased off the pressure bit by bit until she could begin to knead that spot out. "See.. feel it releasing?" He grunted in reply and shifted a bit under her hands to give her better access to that shoulder, turning his face to the side and closing his eyes. "You okay?"

"Unnnngh.." Beach was mostly concerned with making sure he didn't begin drooling. Her fingers dug into his meaty shoulder and pinched into the spasmed spot, causing pain to shoot through it to his upper arm. "Ow.." He was pretty proud he'd gotten the actual word out in a coherent manner. She didn't let up the painful grip until the spasm began to release and then it was a slow gradual thing. When she began to massage that spot out finally he sighed and closed his eyes again, feeling the warmth from her thighs where they rested along his hips and the warm hands stroking and rubbing out the soreness from his back and shoulders. Letting out another soft sigh, he tried to thank her and managed a deep groan.

She smiled down at him. "That good? You're turning into a limp dishrag, Beach." She began to massage his shoulders carefully, smoothing all the spots out.

"Yaa.. dish...nngh..." Another softer groan and he became still underneath her legs. The feel of his bare skin under her hands turned warm. She looked over his skin, watching the way it pulled taut with the scar lines tugging where they cut through the layers and sometimes into the underlying muscles. She had to be careful where she pressed in to avoid tweaking the scarred muscles into spasms. Little pock scars tied the outer skin to deeper damaged muscle. The resistance finally dissipated totally and his back relaxed.

"There you go..." She stroked her hands over his back softly, feeling her way over the gouges and sleekness. "Better?" She didn't get a reply and leaned over him to peer into the slack face. "Beach?" she asked softly. The only response was a slightly deeper breath drawn in and slowly sighed back out. "Aww.. Beach." He was asleep and she carefully lifted her leg to get off the bed without waking him up. "I wasn't angling for a nap, really... but.." She sighed and shrugged to herself, rolling her eyes in amusement. "I guess you're gonna take a nap." She reached to lift his foot slightly and placed it all the way onto the bed. Tugging the coverlet loose from the one side of the bed, she laid it over him and then settled up at the head of the bed, resting a hand on his back gently. A soft mumble emerged and she shushed him. "Go back to sleep.."

"Gunngth.." Comment made, he settled back to a deep sleep and she flicked the tv on, putting the sound down low so he wouldn't wake up. Finding a mindless chick flick, she settled to watch it for a while.

* * *

End chapter

I hoped that you enjoyed. Yes, I know, a massage scene is pure sugar. My beta loves them. Okay, I love them too.


	5. You can take the grease off the monkey

Chapter 5

Annnnd BeachHead wakes up. I KNOW! I'm posting a day ahead of schedule! It's because I'll be out of town most of the weekend off and on and I sure didn't want to forget to post a chapter for you guys! An author could get lynched for that! Don't lynch me! I'm very glad that everyone is enjoying this! Yes the massage is completely fluff really.. just indulging. Glad everyone else liked indulging too! Please keep reviewing! I really like to hear what you think of the various OCs, so I know they are coming across properly "in character". I love all the reviews! Thank you guys for reading!

* * *

"Hunnnnghhh..." Beach blinked at a leg and groaned again. The leg shifted around and a heart shaped face surrounded by soft blond hair leaned into his view.

"Hey Beach.. you awake?" Her voice was too chipper and he grunted again and managed to get his various limbs moving and responding. Twisting his neck, he heard it pop loudly and he finally rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. "You've been asleep about an hour."

"M'kay." He was unusually groggy after such a short nap and rubbed a hand over his face a few times to wake himself up. "Sorry.. didn't mean to fall asleep." She moved over to press against his back, wrapping arms around his ribs to hug him. "Thanks.. my shoulder feels better."

She squeezed him tightly and he reached up to rub a hand along her arm, giving it a light pat. Courtney tucked her face into his neck and kissed him under one ear lightly. "I'm glad to. Gotta have you in the best shape possible for tomorrow, right?" She nuzzled along his neck and he tilted his head sideways and sighed. Her tongue trailed upwards to his ear and she nibbled at it a little bit, feeling him shiver in response.

"Aaahhhh... ya shouldn't... nngghhh..." His skin twitched and he tilted his head sideways to pull his ear free. "Don't..." her hands slid up over his abs to his chest and he sighed softly again, almost beginning to relax into her embrace when he abruptly pulled free and stood up. "I.. uhh.. " His hand brushed at his belly slightly in a nervous gesture and CoverGirl twisted her legs around to sit on the edge of the bed, occupying the space he'd vacated. "I don't..."

"What?" She leaned backwards to support herself on her elbows. His eyes roamed over her as she lounged casually. "What's wrong Beach?"

"Nothing... is wrong... uhh.. I mean... you hungry? We should go... umm.." He tore his eyes away from her and grabbed at his discarded teeshirt. "We should go out and.. and get some food." She stood up in a fluid motion and he froze, looking for an instant like a cornered rabbit. "Uhh..."

"Where do you want to go?" She walked past him as if nothing had ever been on her mind. Inwardly she cursed at his stubborn nature. "If we're going to hit up a civie joint for some real food, I want to change."

"Yeah.. whatever you want." Beach took a deeper breath and turned to find himself a clean shirt. "I think there's a few.. uhh.. " He paused and ran both hands through his hair and forced his mind to calm. "There's a couple places in town here.. bars that serve food. That okay with you? Everywhere is gonna be packed though. Can't drop ten thousand folks into a town and not expect everywhere to be overcrowded."

CoverGirl stood looking in the mirror in the bathroom area and glared at herself. She'd heard the change in tone in his voice. He'd regrouped and put himself back into the 'fellow soldier' mode. "Yeah Beach.. that's perfect. Gimmie a few minutes to clean up?"

"Yeah." His voice got closer. "You gonna shower and all that first?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes and reminded herself that if he'd been an easy score she'd probably never have set her sights on him to begin with. She loved him and it was worth every frustration to have him.

"Okay.. I need to clean up too."

Unable to resist, she stepped out and gathered up the clothing and then turned to smile up at him. "Well.. if we showered together, we'd get all done in half the time. Wanna be efficient and save water too?" She lowered her eyelids slightly and looked up at him through the thick lashes. "I'm game... if you're game."

He swallowed. "Hnnnghhh..." Closing his mouth he tried again. "No.. that's fine.. you can.. can go first.."

"Alrighty... if you change your mind..." She walked to the bathroom and cast one last look over her shoulder. "You know where to find me."

"Yeah..." He shook himself. He should find something to wear to go out to eat in. He should stop thinking about a naked Kreiger with hot water running... yeah.. stop thinking that.. not keep thinking that. Shirt... fatigue pants.. yeah. That's good stuff to think about. Not how she filled out her fatigue pants so very very nicely.. "Dang it..."

* * *

CoverGirl walked along the sidewalk in her jeans and loose blouse. Turning her head, she smiled at BeachHead who placed himself between her and the road. She liked that her cowboy boots raised her up two full inches. Beach's comment when she'd shown them off was that the heels would be as effective in a fight as her regular combat boots but might break if she tried to kick in a door. Sighing at him made him confused.

"Up here on the right." Beach seemed a bit nervous, and she stepped closer to nudge him.

"Hey Ranger man, what's up?" She reached to scuff at his hair to annoy him.

He ducked away. "Nothin'. Just ain't been out at places filled with military folks with ya on my arm before. Feels a little odd is all." He turned to look behind them along the busy sidewalk. Even with the sun going down, there was a multitude of people going everywhere it seemed. "Are ya sure we shouldn't have gone and invited Stalker and Lydia?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes... I'm certain they wouldn't welcome any interruptions."

He frowned. "Well, it's dinner time, and what if they wanted to go eat? I dunno what they'd be doin' that they wouldn't wanna go eat somethin'."

She stared at him. "Beach, seriously.. he hasn't seen his wife in months.. what do you THINK they're doing?" She really really did enjoy the blush that suddenly flooded his face with red. "Yeah, so if you REALLY want to go knocking on their door, I'm certain one of them might eventually open it, but you're not going to be happy when they do."

"I ain't gonna go.. uhh.. interruptin' them." He swallowed and nodded for her to turn at the corner. "I'unno how crowded this place'll be. Benny and Sarge liked this place best, maybe they'll be here."

She bounced slightly. "That's great. I liked meeting some of your old squad."

He sighed. "Yeah, just like old home week." His tone didn't sound all that pleased and she peered closer at his face in the dimming light. "What?"

"I thought you'd be happy to see them. Benny said you three are the last out of the squad alive now."

Beach looked at the pavement under his feet a moment. "Yeah well.. it brings back a lotta stuff I ain't thought about in a long time. Puttin' the past behind ya is hard when ya run into the folks what were there, ya know?"

She tucked her arm around his. "I know how that is, although probably not as bad of memories for me. Do you want to just get food to go? We can eat in the room if it will bother you to eat here."

"Naw.. might as well catch up with the guys. Otherwise, they're liable to come lookin' fer me at an ungodly hour of the night." She laughed at that. "Uh oh.. looks like we got our first road casualty." Beach motioned up at the right hand lane where a heavy tank sat immobile. Four or five Army engineers were peering in the engine compartment looking puzzled.

CoverGirl perked up and started to head over and Beach grabbed her arm. "No.. NO! Stay! Yer not gonna go play with the tank."

She protested while twisting to get loose. "But.. but Beach! It's an Abrams! Leggo... they're BLEEDING the hydraulics! Beach LEGGO!" She yanked her arm loose and he cursed as she trotted over into the road. "Hey! You guys stop that!"

He sighed as he followed. She elbowed her way into the engine area and snatched the pliers out of the hapless corporal's hands. "Leave that alone! You'll burn the whole engine up! Do you WANT to to blow a piston through the engine block? Get out of my way you bunch of morons!"

Beach stood a few feet to the side hoping this wasn't going to end up some sort of official disaster. CoverGirl wasn't officially supposed to even be in combat, much less being driving tanks into combat. He wasn't certain if women were even supposed to know what a tank did, frankly.

One of the sergeant engineers objected and grabbed to pull her away and Beach coughed loudly. "Hands off the lady." The younger man opened his mouth to fuss and shut it when Beach stepped forward slightly and growled. "Take yer hands off the lady, or Ah'll take 'em off for ya." The hands left her arm instantly. "Courtney... get outa there."

She was twisted into the small space. "Just one minute..." Her leg lifted off the ground as she yanked at something. "There! It was just a clogged line see?" She shook out a short piece of tubing and then inserted herself back into the engine compartment. "Once it's back in place..." She grunted. "Anyone got a set of hose clamp pliers?"

Three of the guys scrambled to be the one to hand them to her. Beach sighed at the sight. Within a few minutes she backed up and whacked the side of the tank. "CRANK HER UP!" The low rumble sounded for a moment then a loud roar erupted. CoverGirl grinned and handed the pliers back. "There.. don't bleed the hydraulics to the coolant system EVER. Got it?"

The group all agreed with her. Even the sergeant who objected originally was obviously enamored of this pretty mechanically inclined woman. "Wait.. hey, you wanna go get some coffee?"

She smiled and wiped her hands on the greasy rag. "Sorry boys, this grease monkey is taken." She walked back up to the sidewalk, where Beach held out an elbow for her to hook her arm through. His smirk at the crestfallen group was almost evil.

He nodded towards the now purring Abrams tank. "Say thank you to the nice lady who just hauled yer butts outa the fire." They all chorused a range of thanks to her, sounding exceptionally dejected. "Now get that danged tank outa the road so it ain't blockin' traffic no more." He started down the sidewalk and nearly ran over Benny. "Dang it Benny! Watch it, I just about stepped on ya."

Corporal Farner grinned and offered his own arm to CoverGirl's free arm. She laughed lightly and took it. "Oh look at me, flanked by Rangers."

Benny's grin widened. "I can show you some real Ranger flanking maneuvers! Anytime babe!"

Courtney put a hand up to block Beach from rounding on the smaller man. "Stop. He's joking." There was a low growl anyway. "Settle down, Beach."

"Ain't funny."

Benny leaned around to smirk happily at him. "Aww, come on, you know I'm kidding..." He turned to her. "Wait until later, I'll tell you all about what a skinny kid Sneeden here was when he first joined our troop."

"Oh that's it!" Beach snatched at the nimble soldier who dodged aside and took off down the sidewalk. "Come back here!"

"See you at the bar, Ditch!" The laughter that followed as Benny disappeared between the crowd of people made Beach scowl harder.

CoverGirl frowned after the departing man then looked at her companion. "Why did they call you.."

"Don't ask."

"But Beach.."

"Ah said don't ask!" He put a hand on the small of her back and gave her a gentle push to start her back down the walkway. "Ah don't wanna talk about it."

"Okay Ditch."

"Don't call me that."

"Beachie-poo?"

"Kreiger, yer treadin' on thin ice..."

"Oh relax.. for god's sake."

The snide voice cut through the muddle of surrounding voices. "It's tragic..." Beach's back stiffened as he turned to look at Warrant officer Amore as he stopped while walking by. "Tragic to see such a stunning woman who doesn't seem to mind being treated like that by some brute who doesn't respect women."

CoverGirl opened her mouth to retort hotly and Beach tugged her back gently. "Warrant officer Amore. Just goin' to dinner." He nodded stiffly and stepped backwards, his hand barring the tank jockey from advancing on the sneering Army officer. "Evening, sir."

They turned to walk away and CoverGirl spoke under her breath at him. "Why do you take that from him! If that was Flint you would have taken his head off!"

"He ain't Flint, and this ain't Joe. This is Benning, and Rangers got standards of conduct, especially here on base during Ranger week. He's waitin' fer me to get mad enough to scrap with him so he can bust me on it. Trust me, it ain't worth respondin' to. Ignore it and let it go."

She checked over her shoulder, seeing that the officer had disappeared into the crowd, she snorted loudly, relaxing and stepping out to stride alongside him confidently. "He's an ass. I don't see what problem he has with you.. acting like you're some abusive hulk beating on poor defenseless me."

Beach chuckled at her. "Yeah.. he ain't never dealt with your elbows and sharp tongue." She used the left elbow on his ribs and he rubbed the spot. "See? Just provin' my point."

"You big sissy." Her fond smile made him feel warm. "Here.. is this where we're eating?" She turned into the small parking lot. "Wow.. hope we can find a table."

"Yeah, well.. if Benny is here, then Sarge is, and we can share theirs if'n there's space." Beach tugged the door open. "After you.."

She smiled and pretended to curtsy. "Thank you, Sergeant major." As they walked in she spotted the two Rangers she'd met earlier and pointed them out to Beach. "Remember.. no breaking your friend."

"I ain't gonna break him.. I'm just gonna bend him around a little.."

* * *

End Chapter

Courtney is SUCH a grease monkey. She'll have her own fan club if she's not careful!

Next up.. dinner with a group of Rangers who have stories on Beach from the "old days". And trust me, they're not shy about sharing those stories, much to Beach's disappointment! And yes, you will get to read why they called him "Ditch".

Remember, readers welcome, but reviewers adored!


	6. Stories from the past

Chapter 6

Whoo! Time for the new chapter! This begins the dinner with Rangers! I hope you enjoy and please leave reviews! You guys have been the best ever on reviewing and it does help a lot to make sure I'm keeping the fic on track!

This chapter you get to hear how Beach got the early nickname of "Ditch" and also.. you get to hear how CoverGirl first met BeachHead. Happy reading and I hope you enjoy!

Courtney shook her head and squeezed between a few men. "Scuse me.. pardon me.." Beach followed her, not having to squeeze through as much, as people were inclined to let him pass. By the time he caught up with the slender tank jockey, she had found the table his old cohorts were seated at. "Hey... Beach and I thought you guys might be here.." 

Benny waved her to a spot between himself and the next guy. "Hey back at you, Army gal. Sit here, Private Cummings won't bite you."

The resigned looking Private scooted his chair over slightly and CoverGirl motioned him over a little more. "Beach is right behind me.. we need space for him too." She settled next to the Private, leaving Beach the spot between her and Benny. "Don't worry, he won't really behead you or anything Corporal Farner."

Benny snorted. "Call me Benny, and maybe you don't REALLY know him like we do.."

Beach arrived and scowled. "Benny, yer pushin' mah danged buttons."

The smaller Ranger grinned at him anyway. "Oh sit 'yer danged ole self down' you big pussy."

His scowl deepened. "Yer chappin' mah ass, Benny." He settled in at the table, getting patted by CoverGirl at his side. She hitched her chair to right against his. "He gives ya trouble, Ah'll bust him so hard he'll never walk right again."

She hugged his neck, making him frown and pull away. "Awww Beachie, yer mah danged ole hero."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yer gonna repeat that until Ah actually yell at ya, right?"

"Yup." She twisted to nudge the quiet guy beside her. "Private Cummings thinks it's funny, right?"

That young man shrugged and drank a bit of his beer before he answered. "Sure, whatever you say. Just as long as you'll sit next to me.. it's funny as heck." He gave her a amused look. "And call me Jimmy, I hate all the jokes about my name."

Benny leaned to talk around Beach and CoverGirl both. "Ahh, we don't make that many jokes about you, Cummings.. we just like to say your name a lot."

CoverGirl reached around to swat at him, making Beach lean back out of the way. "Stop that! You just leave Jimmy alone."

Beach put an elbow up to push her back in her seat. "Stop startin' fights with me in the middle." She poked at his chest. "Don't start jabbin' at me neither."

"Don't be a jerk, and I won't poke you." She smirked at the frown her words elicited.

Benny crowed at that. "You let her beat on you?" He elbowed the scowling Ranger. "Didn't know you'd gone so soft!" Beach glared at him. "Sorry! Geez, just kidding!"

CoverGirl waved at the waiter who was wending his way through the crush of people. "Hey.. over here!" The waiter looked surprisingly chipper despite the unusual crowd. "Can I get a cold beer?"

"Draft, lite, bottled Bud or Coors?" He nodded to one of the other waiters. "Table four wants nachos.." He turned back to her. "Draft is best."

"Draft it is." She reached to poke Beach who was bent listening to someone across the table. "Hey Beach, tell the waiter what you want to drink."

He twisted to look over his shoulder. "Sorry, can't hear in here... sweet tea."

The waiter nodded and gathered more requests for refills from the table and CoverGirl added on an order of 'fried stuff' and asked for a menu which made everyone laugh. "What? I want to eat!"

Benny shouted loudly. "What's for dinner boys?"

There was a loud chorus from nearly everyone. "Burger add cheese, pizza add olives, sausage or pepperoni, steak, wings hot or hotter, or chili dog WITH cheeeeese!" Beach winced at the volume level and Courtney blinked at them.

She sighed theatrically. "Well I guess that makes the decision easier." The waiter raised his hands in query. "Fine.. burger add cheese, hold the pickles."

"Got it." He tapped Beach who ordered himself a burger plus wings and then at the last moment added in nachos.

Benny clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Man, see? That's our old Ditch, ordering food to share!"

There was a loud snort. Sergeant Green shifted his weight in his chair. "He'll eat all that by himself, you ain't forgot what feeding him was like, have you Benny?"

The Corporal groaned. "Yeah, Ditch about ate the whole company out of food on a regular basis. We had to keep taking out enemy emplacements just so we could capture more rations for him."

Beach made a face at him. "Ain't mah fault that I ain't a pocket-sized Ranger like you are Benny."

Hoots and shouting erupted. The waiter eventually brought them drinks, setting glass after glass on the table, then handing out bottles. Beach picked up his sweet tea and then looked at it suspiciously. Suddenly he handed it back. "What kinda soda you got in a bottle?"

The waiter took the full glass. "Is the tea not good? We have unsweet?" Beach shook his head. "Okaaay.. I think we have coke, diet coke and..." He thought a moment. "I think we might have some orange crush left."

"Gimme a coke, leave the top on too." Beach turned back to the table and caught Courtney staring. "Ain't gonna take the chance again, especially with this lot."

"Paranoid." She turned to Benny. "So.. Benny... you were going to tell me why you guys called Sneeden here 'Ditch', weren't you?"

Beach glared at her. "No, he wasn't.."

Benny perked up. "Well see.. one of the first patrols.."

Beach growled at him. "Shut up."

"Beach here, we all called him Sneeden then, he was green as grass, never been in a firefight, just happy to be with us. He was sooo young and eager, like a puppy."

BeachHead looked across the table. "Sarge, tell him to shut it!"

Green smiled and nodded at Benny. "Sounds like he's getting it right so far."

Benny bowed his head in mock thanks. "Sooo anyway.. we're on this patrol see, up along a ridge, paralleling a trail we know the enemy been using. We were supposed to be meeting up with a second team, then setting up an ambush further north."

Beach tried again. "And it all went well, the end. Ain't the food supposed to be here?"

Benny ignored him. "So we're all strung out along the ridge, walking all quiet like, because we knew the enemy would be somewhere along the trail proper." He illustrated with his hands, describing the ridge and the trail lower along the slope. "So suddenly.. Sneeden just ups and disappears! Pop! No Sneeden!" His fingers mimed a poof. "He'd gotten too close to the edge and it crumbled and he fell down the slope... we're all going 'what the hell?' and trying to figure out how to get down the slope after him, or if we should wait and let him try to climb back up.. and we hear a hellacious firefight breaking out."

Green let out a short laugh. "Yeah.. sounded like the third World War down there. We ran down our trail to find a way down, and went sliding down too, I'm hoping we don't find him too badly wounded. Get down there, and he comes pelting around a corner of the road like every demon in hell is after him. Not a scratch on him. But.." He started laughing while Beach rolled his eyes and looked disgusted. "But.. instead of stopping when he got to us, he went right through our patrol.." His arm made a snaking motion then dipped downward. "... and dove into a muddy ditch to hide." Benny was laughing too hard to breathe. Green pointed at Beach. "I took the patrol down the road.. wiped up the last of the enemy, but he'd gone and killed over half of them himself. Killed 14 and wounded 3 more.. apparently.. he fell right into them and freaked out, started running and shooting anyone who got into his sights.. crawled under a armored vehicle, and they threw a grenade under there, so he kicked it out and squeezed out the back, shot some more and ran off." He finally caught his breath. "Took me twenty minutes to coax him out of the damned ditch. I don't think he got more than ten feet from me the next month, unless he was stuck to the Captain, of course."

Beach snorted loudly. "Ha ha. Very funny. We ain't gotta have 'rag on Sneeden' night here." He tipped his head to the side. "Talk about Kreiger, she used to be a model and all that. She's more interestin' than I am."

CoverGirl smacked his arm. "Shut up, Ditch."

"Don't call me that!" He bristled and she smirked anyway. "Dang it, woman!"

Sarge waved a hand at her. "Sooo.. let's talk to Kreiger!" Beach puffed out a sigh of relief. "So Kreiger.. how did you have the misfortune to meet up with Sneeden? And tell us what sort of bribe he could possibly offer a gorgeous young woman like you to accompany him out to Ranger week."

She sighed and looked at Beach. "Well.. the first time we met... I guess was maybe three or four days after I transferred in. I was in the.. uhh.. in the new folks barracks, with this asshole pinning me to the floor trying to get my pants off. I was trying to kick him in the nads, but he was bigger than me and then suddenly.. he got pounded in the head.. and BeachHead was there, yanking him away. I was kind of out of it, the guy was in the middle of choking me out.. and these big strong arms picked me up and rushed me to the infirmary."

There was a chorus of "Awwww..."

She grinned. "Yeah so the next morning, I heard he was coming down to check on me, see if I was okay." She placed a hand on her chest and fluttered her long eyelashes. "So I'm just breathless.. my savior is coming to see me... just couldn't wait to really 'meet' him." Her hand waved to indicate Beach. "Then Sergeant major Hardass walks in and starts berating me for my 'lack of hand-to-hand skills' and we ended up in a shouting match. Sort of ruined the whole 'knight in shining armor' scene I had in my head for sure."

Beach snorted over the general laughter at his expense. "Yeah, ain't no knights in shinin' armor here.. Ranger in battered Kevlar at best."

Jimmy elbowed Courtney lightly. "Don't worry, Rangers in battered Kevlar are more useful.. and we don't smell like horses or clank when we walk!"

Benny grinned. "Yeah, you know what they say, honey! 'Feel safe at night, sleep with a Ranger', ha ha ha!"

Beach put an elbow into Benny's sternum. "Ain't you got nothin' useful to say, Benny?"

"Yeah, but you keep saying we shouldn't tell Courtney here about your 'early formative years'..." The waiter made a timely arrival with food to distract them all from the minor squabble.

To be continued!


	7. Ranger Bargains

Time for a new chapter! I'm very glad everyone is enjoying this, and thank you all for the awesome reviews! I really appreciate hearing what all of you think about various characters! And hey, some of the names in this chapter were offered by readers, so you know who you are! Keep your eyes peeled to see your suggested names from this point on in the story. The people who answered a quiz question correctly got to submit a name for me to use in the fic, so congrats all of those who got the right answer! If you don't see your submitted name yet, don't worry.. it will get used sooner or later!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy! And so.. dinner with the Rangers continues...

* * *

The oldest seated at the crowded table, Sergeant Daniel Green took a plateful of the nachos over Beach's mild protest. "Yeah yeah, don't make me take your sorry ass outside Sneeden. I'll still kick your butt." He nodded across the table to the lone female. "Could I please have some of your fried cheese things there?"

She smiled and reached to push the platter across towards him. "Of course Sergeant Green. How could I refuse such a gentleman?"

He snorted and took a few items. "Rangers get politeness drilled into our stubborn heads early on when dealing with outsiders. Makes it easier to kill them later if they're relaxed and not running away. You can call me Sarge.. or Daniel." He motioned at Beach. "Don't let him fill your pretty head with no buncha lies about us."

She took the platter back to her side and offered it to Beach. "Oh, he hasn't told any lies about you, he hasn't mentioned anything about his early years really. We just make things up to irk him when he's eavesdropping."

Other than a snort of derision, Beach ignored her so Benny dragged the platter over to himself. "BeachHead here didn't tell you about us? That's him alright, close mouthed about everything. We went through some tough stuff though."

Beach got a proud expression and bumped fists with Benny. "Yeah we sure 'nough did. Rangers lead the way." He dug into his food again, letting the conversation flow around him.

Benny spoke loudly across the table to Sarge. "Yeah, you should have seen her, she was fixing that tank like it was a tricycle! Never saw a chick repair a tank before! What do you do, Army gal? What's your MOS?"

She smiled, looking a bit embarrassed. Her glance to Beach told her nothing as he was studiously ignoring the query, hoping she'd wrangle her way out on her own. "Ahh.. well.. I'm a mechanic. I just really love the big vehicles, so I kind of study up on them a lot on my off time. It's a simple fix really, most folks.. they immediately start bleeding the hydraulic lines and stuff like that, any line containing fluids, they want to bleed it like a 1600s horse leech. But see.. with tanks.." Beach smiled fondly to himself as she regaled the table with how exactly one worked on that particular problem. She'd lost everyone about two sentences in, but no one would interrupt her as long as the gorgeous woman was speaking to them. Highly trained Rangers, well versed in every weapon known to man, and yet, all still highly male and enamored of a beautiful female.

Benny leaned over and nudged Beach with an elbow, then whispered, his eyes never leaving the slender blond still explaining the intricacies of industrial diesel engines. "Beach.. dude. How attached are you to this girl? I mean.. really.. she's soooo... you know..."

BeachHead cast just his eyes over and sighed lightly. "Ah know.. Ah know, Benny. She's..." He gave up and sighed.

Benny suddenly looked concerned. "Hey.. you ain't.. you know.. serious right?" Beach refused to meet his eyes. Benny leaned to look at his face. "Oh no.. after all this time? Come on man. Don't do this to yourself."

Beach flicked his gaze over and back quickly. "Ya just wanna shot at her yerself." His tone was sullen and uncomfortable. Benny shook his head. "Ah know, that's stupid, but jus' drop it." The smaller man tipped his head and started to speak and Beach over-rode him. "Ah said.. drop it. Not now.. not here."

Benny took a breath in, considering whether to stop or not. "Alright... but man, I hope you know what you're doing."

Beach looked at him somberly. "Ah ain't got a damned clue, Benny."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I remember how you were when you joined us.."

"Shush up, Benny." Beach reached over and squeezed his arm briefly. "That was a long time back." He sat back in his chair. "What have you been doin' on Benning? Last I heard you were a Cadre member?"

Benny made a face. "Ehh, I'm a assistant Cadre instructor. Mainly I'm instructing on the obstacle courses, jumps and the woods protocol."

Courtney suddenly leaned around Beach's elbow. "Woods protocol?

Brightening at her question, Benny's chest swelled. "Yeah, when we take trainees out to the woods and turn them loose to get lost and cold and lonely, I'm one of the guys catching them trying to cheat."

She grinned. "Poor fellows.. I'll bet they don't get away with much with you on the job. What about Daniel?"

Benny lost the grin and picked his beer up to take a long swallow. "Sarge is pushing a desk. Bum leg."

BeachHead nodded. "Sarge caught a bullet in his knee, the officers benched him on medical disability." The Alabama native gave Benny a elbow. "Green has to keep tabs on all the troublemakers, including the bantam weight Benny."

The mentioned bantam bristled up and lowered one eyelid in a baleful glare. "Just cause we ain't all over-sized gorillas don't mean we're bantams." He flicked a hand out too quickly for Beach to dunk and thunked him in the forehead. "Besides, I'm quick.. and I'm a smaller target. That's why I liked hanging out around you in the field. Big huge fat target like you, the enemy never noticed me."

Daniel's voice came across the table. "Benny stop being so jealous of us full-grown folks. You're a munchkin." He nodded at CoverGirl. "Girl, you want a bargain? I'll trade you Sneeden for Benny there.. you could have a handy-dandy pocket-sized Ranger. Take him anywhere.. he don't eat nearly as much as Lard-butt there, and he don't tend to shout as much either."

"Whoa whoa..." There was a slight protest from Sergeant MacAllister, another of the instructors stationed at Benning. "I gotta say, you can't go trying to make that trade on that girl without full disclosure... you should add some bonus items in with Benny to make that a fair trade. Benny don't weigh half as much as Sneeden.. so sheer pound-for-pound, Benny would be a overall loss. Plus.. Sneeden is really talented at picking up heavy things.. or people..."

Beach put a hand over his eyes. "Gawd help me.. NOW Ah remember why Ah don't miss Benning.."

Green pointed at him wildly. "Another point to Benny! Half the time no one can understand Sneeden! Benny speaks good clear English without all that slurring!"

Beach scowled. "Ah dun slur nuthin!"

Sarge held up his hands, raising his eyebrows at the proof of his statement and Beach rolled his eyes. Courtney had a hand clamped over her mouth trying not to laugh out loud.

Mac waved his hands around. "No no.. that doesn't make up for rank differences! Sneeden has more rank, so he can call in bigger favors!"

Green snorted loudly. "Benny has more blackmail material."

Looking thoughtful, the sergeant nodded. "Point taken.. but for legitimate requests without having to resort to blackmail, Sneeden clearly wins out on that point. Plus.. Sneeden is a better shot and he's a small arms armorer."

"Benny's better looking.. plus, if you get mad at Benny, you can just fold him up and put him in your handbag until you're ready to talk to him again. Sneeden will argue louder and louder until you give up just to shut him up." Green looked smug.

Courtney held up a finger, stopping everyone. "Alright.. now that's too much." Her chastising glare made everyone shift uncomfortably. "There's no way you can tell me that giving in to Beach in an argument shuts him up. He'll browbeat you verbally until you gnaw off your own arm to escape the area." General laughter broke out, although Beach looked rather disgusted with her.

"Thanks Cinderella, nice ta know ya got mah back." He ducked his head from under her hands as she tried to muss his hair playfully. "Ahh! Hands off the Sergeant major."

She smirked at him. "Oh you know me.. I'm a pretty hands-on type of person."

Green laughed. "There's another thing.. Benny is a fun guy, not a stick in the mud."

Mac rallied again. "Yeah I think you mean Benny is 'fun-sized' while Sneeden is 'full-sized'. More bang for your buck."

"Benny has his Sapper tabs." A chorus of 'oooo!' went around the table and Beach cleared his throat.

"Hey now.. Ah could have mah tabs.. just ain't had time to do the formalities. Anything Benny can blow up, I can blow up with less explosives in a more destructive manner." Beach raised an eyebrow at the smaller man who shrugged.

"That's your opinion.. " Benny licked his thumb and smoothed both his eyebrows dramatically. "I'm more sexy!"

Mac suddenly pointed. "Beach can bench press Benny, but can Benny bench press Beach?" He suddenly worked his jaw a few times. "I think I just sprained my tongue.."

Benny suddenly grinned. "I bet I could bench press Courtney! I'm willing to try!"

Courtney leaned to smile sweetly. "Benny, I could bench you with one hand."

He smiled back. "Please tell me that's a promise!"

Beach leaned between them to give Benny a glare. "Are ya flirtin' with mah gal again?"

Benny gave a dazzling grin. "No, I'm flirting with my future girl... " He saw the hairs bristle on the larger man's neck and laughed. "Oh give it up Beach. I'm not stealing your girlfriend, I got more honor than that. Besides.." He pointed to where her hand was resting on Beach's forearm. "I don't think she's really seriously considering trading you in."

Courtney smiled at her Ranger. "Nooo, I don't think I'll trade him in. I'm kind of used to him now, and besides.. I almost have him housebroken."

Benny laughed easily. "Well then, you got me beat.. I still wee on the furniture if Sarge don't take me for walkies."

Green mock-scowled at him. "If that's some veiled way to tell me you peed in my office again..."

Benny held up a hand. "Hey hey.. I'm joking.. I used the potted plant like you taught me."

Courtney laughed until she snorted, then stopped suddenly with hand over her mouth. Benny got a huge grin. "She snorts when she laughs."

Beach sighed. "Only when she really gets rolling. She snores sometimes too." He downed the last of his soda, already having cleaned not only his plate, but polished off Courtney's leftovers as well as stealing a few items off any other handy platter. "I think I'm done in for the night. Been up since way too danged early." He looked over and nudged Courtney's head with his own. "What about you?"

She shrugged. "I'm fed and tired and I can't figure out what time it really is." She pushed her chair back and stood. "So I think.. I shall take the good Sergeant major's advice, and go get some rest." Beach disappeared to pay for the food, and she said her goodbyes.

Sarge beckoned her over, leaning back in his chair to speak softly to her. Courtney stepped over to listen to his low voice as he spoke to her. "Look.. don't go playing him. Okay? I mean, if you need some company, but not him. Plenty of folks available if you just want a Ranger fix, including me. If you want to talk, just contact me. Any of the offices can get you to wherever I am. Got it?"

She nodded slowly, not certain whether she should be insulted or threatened. "Umm.. yeah.. I uhh.. I'll see you tomorrow I guess? Big parachute thing?"

"Yep. Sneeden and Benny are both jumping." Green seemed a bit uncomfortable with her suddenly. "We can talk anytime."

"Okay.. uhh... I better go, he'll be fussing." She stepped through the crowds to find Beach just getting his card back. "Ready, Beach? Can I pay for mine?"

He shook his head. "I got the table." He yawned. "Sorry.. I'm tired."

She hooked a arm through his and tugged him towards the door. "Let's get you back to the room, you're exhausted." They headed down the sidewalk and he shrugged his shoulders around in his fatigues. "You know, you usually hold up a lot better, are you feeling okay?"

He tilted his head to look down at her fondly. "I'm fine, Flint kept me up too late for me to catch any sleep last night." He looked up as he did the math in his head. "That's forty-five hours I been up. Really about ready fer some sleep.. other than my nap earlier."

She squeezed his arm. "I wondered why you fell asleep this afternoon. No wonder. Don't fall over on me Ranger man.. I don't think I can carry you back to the motel." Giving him a saucy grin, she wriggled. "Maybe I should consider that trade.. I could carry Benny to the room."

Beach snorted. "You could put Benny in your back pocket and carry him anywhere. He's a really good man though.."

"I'm not interested in Benny."

"I didn't say ya was.."

"Just wanted to be clear, Wayne. I'm interested in you, not anyone else."

"Got it."

* * *

By the time they made it back to the room, even Courtney was exhausted. She slipped the keycard through the lock on their room and pushed the door open. "Does it seem like a year since this morning when we arrived? It sure does to me."

Beach just grunted, obviously having passed his point of social chatting. She supposed that today would have been a continuing nightmare for him. Start him out with a trip to the airport at an ungodly hour of the morning when he'd normally be sleeping, then a hassle at the civilian airport about their weapons. A few hours on a crowded airplane full of families and annoying young people who kept staring at him, mainly because he was scowling constantly. Her driving hadn't settled his nerves any either she supposed. Once at Benning he'd run into old friends, and a few old enemies from the sound of the exchanges. Courtney just hoped the week would go smoothly. Beach wavered between feeling comfortable in his old stomping grounds of Benning, and uncertain when confronted with certain individuals. She was happy to get to meet some of his old friends though. They seemed like people that really knew him well.

"Oh that bed will feel good." She stretched and rummaged in the drawer to find her shorts. Casting her eyes over at the grumpy Ranger, she watched him unlacing his boots quietly. The entire day, she'd been watching carefully for any cues as to his state of mind regarding.. well... 'it'. Every time she thought he was becoming more open and affectionate, he'd abruptly back off. Frustrated wasn't quite a strong enough term for her mood. Everyone who seemed to 'know' something about the Ranger's reluctance to take a definitive step in their relationship, didn't want to actually come out and tell her anything. Daniel seemed like he wanted to talk to her alone, but she couldn't figure out if it was about Beach or an attempt to get into her pants himself. She decided to not push and smiled at him. "You look like you're about to fall asleep sitting up."

He snorted lightly. "Been a long day." He stood to strip off his shirts, stretching his shoulders out and back. She wasn't drooling over the flexing chest muscles.. much. His eyes seemed to stay half closed, but instead of looking haggard, he was looking entirely too enticing to her right now. She reminded herself that she wasn't pushing herself on him. He'd been too skittish all day, and she'd only drive him away if she kept chasing.

She was sliding under the covers while he brushed his teeth at the sink when he suddenly turned to frown at her. She waited a second, then raised an eyebrow at him in query. "What?"

He shook his head and turned back to the sink to spit. "Nuffin.." He rinsed his mouth out and spat. "Ya gonna turn on a movie or go ta sleep?"

She sighed. "I thought I'd turn on the tv for some noise.. muffle the sound of people wandering up and down outside. It's up to you though, which noise will irritate you more? The people outside or the tv inside?"

"Don't matter none. I can sleep." She flipped on the tv and found the Weather Channel. Turning the sound to a low level, she put the remote on his side of the bed and settled her head on her pillow to watch the reports scrolling by sleepily. After a few minutes, he flipped off the lights and padded over to check the door. She smiled at the sight of his silly kitten pajama pants, and maybe admired his bare torso a little in the flickering light of the television.

He settled on the other bed and she cleared her throat loudly. "Beach.. if you try to sleep in that bed, I swear I'm going to get up and kneecap you."

He jumped up off the bed and then coughed slightly. "Sorry.. habit." He looked hesitant and she lifted the blankets up for him. "Uhh..."

She made a judgment call in her head. "Come on to bed... umm Beach? I'm really tired.. could.. could we just sleep? I'm sorry."

She had to fight the urge to laugh at the huge wave of relief that crossed his face. "That's fine.. it's uhh.. okay." When he settled into the bed, she waited for him to shift himself around. Beach rolled onto his side and watched her face for a moment. "Courtney... I really.."

She put her finger on his lips. "Shhh... sleep." Scooting over to snug herself to his chest, she tucked her head under his jaw and sighed with contentment. Uncertain though he might be otherwise, his arm came around her body to hold her snugly and she felt him relax. "Good night Wayne."

"Night Courtney." Beach's voice rumbled quietly in his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her cheek and it soothed her to sleep.

* * *

End Chapter(also End Day 1)

I know.. they're in bed.. and nothing is happening. Tcch tchh. Patience. Next up.. Ranger Panty Runs. If you don't know the term... Rangers have a habit(tradition) of running their PT runs in tiny black silky PT shorts.. nicknamed "panties"(usually by other branches of the military). And the sight is really something to behold, worth getting up early for.


	8. Ranger Panty Runs Rock

Thank you for all the reviews! I'm glad the discussions seemed so "real". I appreciate the feedback on the OCs a lot! Army Rangers always wore tiny black silky PT shorts to do their runs in, and people started referring to those little shorts as "Ranger panties". I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Courtney grunted softly when Beach extracted himself from the tangle of long bare limbs and slid out of the bed. Standing beside the bed, he blinked a few times and rubbed one hand over his rumpled hair, trying to sort himself out in his mind. Picking up the alarm clock, he peered blearily at it and grunted. It was close to time for the morning run, so he grabbed up his old Ranger shorts to pull on. Glancing in the mirror on the wall, he turned and gazed at his torso and back. The scars that stood out against his skin made him grimace. He wasn't ashamed of his scarred up body, but people always stared and always wanted to hint about how he'd gotten the scars. A few seconds of thought and he pulled out sweat pants and a teeshirt to tug on. His white tennis shoes were laced on and he tucked his room card into a sock.

"Beeeach..." The woman in bed groaned and rolled over, slinging an arm over her eyes. "Issit mornin'?"

Smiling at the impulse to shout her out of the bed for the sheer enjoyment of watching her jump, Beach instead leaned over and stroked the backs of his fingers across her cheek. "Naw.. it's early. Go back to sleep."

"Yeah.." She sighed heavily then cracked open a single eye. "Whaddaya doin' up?"

"Goin' out fer a run. Ah'll be back in a bit." She captured his hand and squeezed it for an instant. "Ah'll buy ya breakfast when Ah get back."

"Good..." She rolled over and burrowed under the covers again. "S'long as I don't hafta get up and do PT.."

"Don't tempt me." He grinned at the grumbly sleepy noises, then she tugged the blankets over her head. "Alright." As he walked out of the room, he saw a few other Rangers headed out, all in the traditional black running shorts. He paused, plucking at his teeshirt and then shook his head. "Dammit.."

Trotting along the sidewalk, he found the meeting point and got jostled by a few of the others, who immediately tugged at his shirt and mocked at him.

"Hey, it too cold for you, old man?" "Too shy to show off that fat belly?" "Aww, look, he's wearing his jammies to run in!"

Beach fended them off and then jumped to a position in the back when the resident drill instructor showed up. He hoped to stay unnoticed during the run. Unfortunately, the Benning Ranger drill was every bit as observant as Beach himself.

"What do we have here in the back?" The sturdy Ranger walked back to shout loudly in an amused tone at the hapless BeachHead. "If I don't miss my guess, we have a pansy-ass hiding in among my good honest Rangers. Are you a pansy-ass, soldier?"

Beach straightened up even more, facing ahead properly. "No Drill Sergeant! Ranger Sergeant major Sneeden reporting for morning PT, Drill Sergeant!"

He was looked over head to toe and fought the urge to twitch. Technically, he outranked the drill, but that didn't matter when the other Ranger was in charge of the PT. The same authority that BeachHead invoked at the Pit during PT over every Joe except Hawk, was now invoked over him. Far from wanting to disrupt the order of things, he accepted his spot under the drill instructor without qualm, too used to Army life to find it odd in the least.

The drill jerked his chin at him. "What's wrong? Too chilly out here for you? Need a nice toasty blanket? Should I go get a warm fuzzy blankie for you?"

"No Drill Sergeant!" Beach felt himself going red in the face.

"Well then perhaps you'd like to tell me why you'd go and show up at MY PT run dressed out like you're headed to softball practice like a little girl!" The drill stopped circling and finished the shout in Beach's face.

Beach let his eyes flick over to the drill's face for just long enough to register his discomfort. "Ah got tired a bein' asked about my scars, Drill sergeant."

He watched the flash of sympathy show itself and disappear. The drill lifted his voice louder. "Well, no one here is gonna be asking you about no scars. Isn't that right?" There was a ragged chorus of 'no' answers and he flicked a hand at Beach. "Strip it."

Stripping the sweats off over his shoes was slightly awkward but he managed. The teeshirt peeled off and he tossed both aside onto the grass and straightened in place. Although there were slight sidelong glances, none of the Rangers quite dared enough to turn to stare. The drill himself looked a little taken aback for a few seconds before he turned and walked to the front of the pack again.

"So now that Sergeant MAJOR Sneeden has his clothes off, let's all look at him." Heads swiveled to stare at a suddenly embarrassed BeachHead. The drill snapped out again. "Alright, now you all looked. Sneeden obviously got attacked by vicious rabid squirrels and now that everyone understands what happened, no one needs to ask him about nothing. Got it?"

A louder chorus sang out with "Yes Drill Sergeant!" Beach spotted Stalker up ahead of him and groaned at the certain knowledge that squirrel jokes at his expense would be forthcoming for a long time. When they headed out on the run, he relaxed and let himself enjoy the exercise. Calling the old familiar cadences and running in formation with a group of other Rangers, it put Beach back into the old feeling of belonging and fitting into a spot that was his. Too often with Joe, he was more of the outsider, either because of his more formal attitude with military rules, his rank over the enlisted Joes, or any of the other reasons that he ended up pushed to the outside. There were rare times when he would briefly wonder if it wouldn't be better to go back to simply be a Ranger among Rangers.

* * *

Courtney groaned and pulled her pillow over her head as someone knocked at the door. The Rangers seemed like a bunch of frat boys when it came to pranking each other. They'd been awakened a few times by people knocking on the door or walls. Sometimes it was the room next door, followed by laughter and running feet. She was certain not all Rangers behaved like this, but there were enough staying at this motel to make her irritable.

The knocking was repeated louder. She poked her head out and shouted at the door. "Sneeden isn't here!" There was another knock. "HE'S GONE!" Another even louder knock and she gave up and crawled out of the bed, tumbling onto the floor and cursing. "I'm coming! I'm coming to KICK YOUR BUTT!"

Starting to unlatch the locks, she paused to peer out of the spyhole and saw Lydia standing there. "Crap.. hang on!" Flipping the latches, she tugged the door open. "What's wrong? Is Sta...ahh.. Lonzo okay?" She rubbed her eyes blearily.

Lydia looked her over. "Get dressed, you're going to miss the run."

Courtney raised an eyebrow. "I can see Beach run every morning."

Lydia hustled into the room and started looking for her clothing. "Yes.. yes, I'm sure you do. And what does he wear? It's a panty run.. no red blooded American woman misses watching a Ranger panty run." Her hands gathered a set of clothing. "Get dressed. Come on.. I'm not missing it to wait for you."

Courtney took the clothing to get dressed automatically, responding to the snap in Lydia's orders. "What's a panty run anyway? I thought that's when guys sneak into dorms to steal girl's underwear. Beach isn't going to do that." Her teeshirt got dragged on over her head and she sat to tie her boots.

Lydia shifted to check the clock. "Not a panty 'raid' Courtney! A panty run.. geez. Haven't you ever seen the little running shorts they use to run in? Black silky tiny shorts..." She sighed. "Lonzo has the nicest thighs ever..."

"Lydia! My god! All this for oogling some guys out running for exercise?" Nevertheless, Courtney was on her feet, scooping up the room key card and following her friend out the door. Lydia actually broke into a trot to get past a slow crowd of people walking the opposite direction. "Wait up!" The tank jockey edged through the people.

"Right up here.. they'll come running by here any time now." Lydia grinned at her as she stopped on the sidewalk. "I just KNEW you'd never seen a run, if you weren't already awake. It's certainly the only good reason to be awake at such an ungodly hour of the morning."

Courtney yawned and thought to herself that her friend might be nice, and share a love of cool cars, and obviously loved Stalker who Courtney respected.. but she was downright nuts. A bunch of jogging guys was not a good enough reason... her eyes fixed on a approaching double line of running men and her brain shunted all the computing power to identifying the figures. Lydia's description of the 'black silky tiny shorts' had neglected to mention exactly how skimpy those shorts were, and she'd forgotten to remind Courtney that Rangers were some of the fittest soldiers in the military, and that combining those two bits of information gave her a very very good reason to get out of bed. Half naked, beautifully muscled, fit and hale grown men were running up the road... and Lydia had brought her right to a perfect spot to watch them as they would run past only feet away from the sidewalk.

Courtney sighed, felt her expression go all slack and dreamy and set her brain on full 'Oogle' to properly appreciate the gorgeous view. Some folks liked to get up to see the sunrise.. but no sunrise had anything on a proper Ranger panty run. She inhaled again deeply and let it out in a long drawn out sigh.

Lydia echoed the sigh. "I know. Ain't they pretty!"

"Yeah..." Courtney really hoped she wasn't drooling on herself, but honestly she wasn't going to take one iota of her attention away from the sight to check. "Oooo... there's Wayne!" Her face split into a wide grin. "Lydia... I love you."

* * *

BeachHead's ears caught a shrill whistle and he glanced over to see Lydia.. and of course, beside her, Courtney, waving and grinning as the line of Rangers ran by. He knew he turned red, cursed the fact that he would blush over her admiring his half-clad body. He'd never cared before, and he had no reason to care now.

"WHOOO! RANGERS GO ALLLLL THE WAY!" Courtney waved again, making certain he saw her and knew exactly who was hooting at him from the sidewalk. "RANGER PANTY RUNS ROCK!"

"Ah'm gonna kill her." He fixed his eyes on the bare back of the man in front of him and ignored her as they continued past. When he got back to the room, he'd give her what-for. The rest of their run went fairly uneventful, although there were plenty more onlookers, none of those bothered him.

Winding back around to the starting point, they came to a stop and BeachHead stood for a moment. Stalker ambled up to him and elbowed him in the chest. The lean black Ranger was coated in sweat and looked worn down from the run. Beach narrowed his eyes and made a mental note to up the length of the daily runs for his fellow Ranger when they got back to the Pit.

"Yo Beach.. headed back to the motel now?" Stalker stretched his left leg and shook it.

Beach nodded. "Figure the women are gonna want some breakfast, I know I'm sure ready fer some."

They walked back along the sidewalks, Stalker going on about Lydia and her boys back home. Beach managed to remember not to comment overly much, as he always said the wrong thing when people talked about their civilian families. When they got within a few blocks of the motel, there were loud wolf whistles. Both Rangers turned to look and Lydia and CoverGirl waved, bright grins on both faces.

"Hey! It's the pretty Ranger boys again!" Lydia laughed and motioned them over. "I do love a good morning Ranger panty run!"

Stalker went to hug her, kissing her several times and then lifting her off her feet. Beach snorted at the show of affection, just before Courtney slapped his rear sharply. "HEY! Cut that out!"

She smirked at him instead. "Well, if you're going to run around flaunting it, you're going to have to expect to have some attention."

He backed up a couple of steps warily. "Well.. you ain't gotta go slapping my rear.. and another thing!" She started walking towards the motel, forcing him to walk beside her to continue talking. "Another thing.. don't go catcallin' at the run that way!"

"Oh Beach! It was just in fun! Don't be so serious." She was still looking him over like a choice cut of beef and he fought to not show how uncomfortable he was. "You all looked so yummy.. and besides, no one objected."

He stammered slightly. "Yeah b-but.. it ain't proper! Rangers train to be the best, dang it! We worked hard fer respect and it ain't a... a.. silly joking thing to be a Ranger! We deserve a bit of respect and professionalism!"

CoverGirl sighed and started to apologize when there was loud whooping from behind them. Beach whirled in time for three other Rangers to run past, slapping at his bare chest before he could dodge. They ran off down the sidewalk, disappearing quickly in the growing press of the crowd.

"Dang it! OW!" Beach snarled at the retreating backs. "Stupid bastards! THAT AIN'T FUNNY!"

CoverGirl turned to see why he was so upset and had to muffle laughter at the sight of him trying to peel the strips of duct tape off his chest. "OW! Sonna..." He chose to glare at the crowd where the tormentors had disappeared.

She controlled her laughter and gave him a somber look. "Professional behavior indeed, Beach. I see you're right."

"Oh shut up." Beach snarled as he gingerly tried to get the tape off. "Danged guys think they're funny.. I'll give 'em funny.." He picked at the end of one piece and jerked at it, jumping when it ripped free. "Dang it! It's rippin' my danged chest hair out." Tugging at one of the other bits, he grimaced. "Ow.. ow ow.."

Courtney finally couldn't take it and reached up. "Just let me.." Despite his protests, she got her fingers on the larger strip and ripped it off in a single motion. "There.. see? Fast is better."

Beach twisted and yelped a few times. "DANG IT WOMAN!" He rubbed at a mostly bare spot. "That hurts!"

She smiled and twirled her finger at him. "Turn around, let me get the last piece."

"NO! Get away from me!" He dodged her grab. "Stop it!"

She stopped and stood with her hands on her hips. "Now, you get over here and let me take off the tape. What are you going to do? Walk around for a week with a piece of duct tape stuck to your chest? You'll look ridiculous."

"Well.. no.. but.. "

"How are you going to take it off? Just let me pull it off and have done with it! Unless you're just a big baby who thinks it hurts too much to stand." With that taunt, he sighed and walked over, looking away as she smiled and yanked the last strip off, tearing a large patch of chest hair loose with it. "There. Was it that bad?"

"Yes!" He rubbed at the slightly red spot. "Dang bastids.. I'm gonna get 'em back."

Tucking her arm through his and tugging to make him walk down the sidewalk again, Courtney shook her head. "I don't think you need to have a nuclear prank war during Ranger Week, Beach.. really. Wouldn't be a good idea at all."

"Well... they started it!"

* * *

End Chapter

Rangers did indeed run in those teeny shorts. Now they tend to wear a little bit longer shorts. Yes, I know. Sad.

And.. prank war! It's sort of having a prank war between nuclear superpowers when you think about the resourcefulness of a Army Ranger. And to think they have two years to think up horrible things to do at Rendezvous. Oh my. This won't be a full theme for the fic.. but you will see the occasional prank mentioned.

I hope that you're still enjoying and thanks so much for all the reviews and feedback!


	9. Stories and Jumps

Chap 9

I know, it's late getting uploaded, so I made this a DOUBLE-LENGTH chapter! Yep! You'll get breakfast, and well into the morning, including the beginning of the big parachute jump! Courtney finally finds out some of Beach's backstory.. there's just a LOT going on! Keep your eyes open!

*At the real Ranger Rendezvous, they actually have one thousand Rangers parachute from planes in a mass jump in full combat gear. It's one of 'those sights' that you'd have to experience to get the full impact, I'm sure!

Thank you all for reviewing and for all the comments! I appreciate the feedback so very much!

* * *

Beach was less sulky when he was dressed and after they got a table at the local diner up the street. Their waiter was unusually chipper for working a restaurant over-run with hungry Army soldiers. "Best breakfast in town."

CoverGirl slid over to give Lydia more room in the bench seat. "Big breakfast before the big jump? I hope you don't get airsick, Ranger man. That'd be embarrassing." She plucked up the menu to peruse it slowly. Getting up so early might have been worth the sight she'd seen, but it was still much earlier than she wanted to be awake on a 'vacation'. She should have known going on vacation with BeachHead would mean no sleeping in. "If you puke on the plane, I'm pretty sure your buds won't let you live it down."

"Ain't likely." Beach pointed at the menu, more interested in ordering food than responding to her teasing.. "Can I get steak and eggs and a side stack of pancakes."

The waiter nodded. "No problem.. just to let you know, later in the week, you'll be hard pressed to get steak here, we'll run out. You ma'am?"

Courtney tilted her head. "It's Corporal actually.. " He murmured an apology. "I would love a stack of blueberry pancakes and orange juice. Oh! A side of bacon with that."

He nodded and turned to Lydia, only to have Beach pipe up suddenly. "Can I get bacon with mine too?"

Scribbling on the notepad, he nodded. "Certainly." He opened his mouth to ask Lydia for her order, stopped and leaned to look up and down her arms. "Ma'am? Or are you out of uniform?"

Lydia smiled at him, while Stalker and Courtney broke up laughing. One smart slap to Stalker's arm and Lydia looked up at their waiter. "No, I'm civilian. French toast with fresh fruit."

Beach perked up. "Fruit?"

The waiter looked at him for a second. "Adding fruit to your order." He turned to Stalker and waited patiently until Lydia, Courtney and Stalker all got done laughing at the look of consternation on Beach's face. "Sergeant?"

"Sausage and eggs with toast." Stalker turned to Beach. "And I think you can guess from the alert expression on Beach's face there.."

The waiter nodded as he wrote. "Sausage added on to his, thank you Sergeant. It'll all be out in just a little bit... we're pretty busy, so be patient for us, okay?" They all assured him they were fine, as long as he brought more coffee.

By the time they were finishing the food, BeachHead had managed to snag one of Courtney's blueberry pancakes, although she'd stolen one of his biscuits. "What? You were gonna leave it on the plate, Barbiedoll, so shut it."

She elbowed him and leveled a finger at him. "The polite thing to do is to ask, not just pluck it off my plate."

He snorted derisively. "Yeah, I was just as danged polite as you are when I got fries you wanna steal." She stuck a tongue out at him and he smirked at her. "Is that an offer?" Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and he struggled to look smug and not blush.

Sergeant Green appeared out of the crowd to tap Beach's shoulder. "BeachHead... they want you jumpers formed up early. Just figured I'd let you know.." He waited while Beach swallowed the last bite of food and got to his feet. "Also... Warrant officer Amore has been lurking around, been asking a few subtle questions about you, where you've been, stuff."

Beach looked irritable. "What's he doin' around the jump field anyway? Ain't there pencils fer him to be sharpenin'?" He picked up his gear bag to sling over a shoulder.

Daniel motioned him towards the door. "He's volunteered to be part of the chute packers, been inspecting parachutes and sticking his nose into everything. I just overheard him trying to ask Jock Richter if he knew where you were stationed currently."

Now the Sergeant major looked worried. "Well, I gotta go have a bit of a chat with his boss then. Can't have that crap goin' on." Courtney cleared her throat loudly. Beach stopped and turned to look at her. She tilted her head to where Stalker was kissing his wife goodbye. The Alabama native snorted loudly. "Lonzo, get it in gear.. she can watch ya jump then ya'll can go back to all that kissy stuff again."

Courtney suddenly got up and walked over to take Beach by his ears and pull him down to face level. "Be careful you big dense doofus. Now kiss me, so I'll let go instead of pulling one of your big dumb ears off." He kissed her lips and she turned loose while Stalker chuckled at him. "Better. Have fun jumping out of the plane." She went back to the table to sit and finish her coffee with Lydia.

Beach rubbed at his ears. "Dang woman.. ain't gotta go draggin' on my ear." He lifted his voice. "Try to stay outa trouble." He turned to Stalker as they exited. "I don't see yer danged woman yanking on yer ears."

"That because I told her goodbye before she had to come chase me down for her goodbye kiss, Beach. You're just a slow learner." Stalker seemed too amused over the incident.

"Whutever. Yer just whipped. Yer wife says jump and yer half in the air a'fore she can finish the word." Beach glanced over at his fellow Joe and realized he was treading on dangerous ground. He switched topics slightly. "She gonna watch the jump?"

"No. She says she knows about enough of the dangerous stuff I do, she doesn't want to watch me falling through the air and have to wonder if my chute will open or not." Stalker shrugged. "It's okay. She'll go to the Benning museum and check out the new World War II exhibit."

Benny came rushing up to nod at Sarge. "Sarge, they're calling our group early, Amore told them to change the order for call up." He motioned at Beach. "Come on.. we gotta run to gear up now." Pointing at Stalker, he raised eyebrows. "You in the same group?"

"Noo. I'm in a different one." Stalker looked concerned anyway.

Benny held up his hands as he backed away, already breaking into a jog. "Better check when you hit the hanger bays. No telling what else he's screwed up." He shoved at Beach's back. "Come on, you snot monkey... you want to miss the jump?"

"Shut up Benny.." Beach cursed softly as he broke into a run. "That damned Warrant officer ain't gonna shut me outa the Ranger jump, not no how."

* * *

Out in the landing fields, Courtney wasn't sure where to look first. The open field was mobbed with people, mostly uniformed Army or Rangers, but a great deal of civilians as well. She'd hoped that Beach would come to see them before the Rangers had to load up for the jump, now she didn't see how he'd even be able to find them in the press afterwards.

"Courtney!" The shout made her turn and scan the people warily. The voice was female and wasn't Lydia. She immediately smoothed her hand across her belly, feeling the small blade tucked under her belt. Her Ranger had begun to infect her with a touch of paranoia now. "COURTNEY! Here!" The blond scanned the clump of people again and her gaze suddenly fixed on a short older lady who was waving at her frantically.

"Beth?" Courtney hurried through the people and was hugged around the neck by the matron. "Umm.. hi."

Aunt Beth turned loose of the tank jockey and patted her face lightly. "It's so very good to see you dear! I just knew it was you when I saw you. I just got here, so pleased I didn't miss it!" She smiled widely.

"Okaaay..." Courtney looked around and then back. "I didn't realize you were coming.. or I'd have arranged to meet you somewhere." She was motioned to the side by a bored looking Private with a safety vest on. "Oh, we have to move back.. must be close to time.."

Aunt Beth hurried back behind an invisible line that satisfied the solders arranging the field. Courtney followed and began to scan the fields for familiar faces. Aunt Beth patted her arm. "I'm so glad I found you, it's such a madhouse! Do you know when they'll be doing the jump? I know Wayne was so excited over this trip. I was pleased to hear you'd be able to go with him."

Courtney nodded. "It's been crazy! All these Rangers come into town and mob everything, and they harass and prank each other, and bang on doors in the middle of the night.. really nuts. Like a giant frat party.. with more explosives and weapons." Beth laughed. "I know the jump should be before noon, but I don't know how close to noon." She suddenly spotted a large familiar figure limping across part of the field. "That's Daniel! HEY SARGE!" About fourteen people turned to look at her and she blushed. "Sorry! SERGEANT GREEN! HEY DANIEL!" Jumping up and down, she waved her arms as he looked in her direction for a couple minutes. She tried jumping higher and finally he shook his head and walked over. "Hey Daniel! I thought you were gonna walk off!"

"You realize..." He grinned slyly. "I saw you right away.. I just wanted to watch you jumping up and down.. it's.. distracting. I can see why Sneeden is so smitten by you." His grin was full of humor instead of leering and she sighed. Somehow it wasn't quite as offensive as when Clutch said the same sort of thing.

"Very funny!" Courtney restrained herself from giving him a punch to his arm. He was likable enough that she wanted to treat him like any of her fellow Joe teammates, but had to remind herself he was still a virtual stranger. A stranger that if he took offense, might very well know up to a dozen ways to kill her with a spork. She indicated the elder lady beside her. "This is Beth O'Hara.."

The older woman nodded politely to the large Ranger. "Aunt Beth, dear.. everyone calls me that." She reached to take the craggy sergeant's hand in both of hers. "So nice to meet you, Sergeant Green, is it?"

Completely nonplussed over this strange civilian, Danial nodded and swallowed. "Yes ma'am. Daniel is fine." He turned his head to check over the dozen soldiers working the crowd lines. "They got me supervising the security here, but in about ten minutes, I'll be free to chat." He extracted his hand from hers. "I'll be back.." His eyes fastened on Courtney's face. "I'd like time to talk to you." His tone made it clear that he intended to have that talk whether she 'liked' the idea or not. She nodded at him. "So I'll see you two ladies in a few minutes." He limped off along the line, pointing along the straggling front edge. "GET THOSE FOLKS BACK! Get your damned butts in gear, or I'll wring you all out like wet laundry!" His shouting made CoverGirl smile, it sounding all too familiar.

"He's a Ranger also?" Aunt Beth's query made her startle and nod.

"Yes, there's a couple Rangers that Beach served with when he first became a Ranger, and both of them are on base here. I don't see Benny right now, but he's jumping with Beach. He's the funniest guy, you can tell he's a real friend to both Daniel and Beach." Courtney pointed. "I think that's where the planes will come from.. over that direction. The wind is coming from the south today."

Aunt Beth dutifully looked in that direction. "It's terribly exciting. I've never seen parachutists in groups before. Is Wayne's friend Stalker going to be jumping also?"

"Yes, he's in the third group though, so not in the same group as Beach. Of course, they're team shooting tomorrow in the competitions. Will you be staying for that? It's going to be really awesome, with obstacles to shoot over and such." Courtney nudged a sizable young man back away from her side. "Personal space buddy, respect it." He stepped away and she turned back to Aunt Beth. "Stalker's wife Lydia is around somewhere, but she said she's seen enough jumps. I think it makes her nervous to see her man jumping out of a plane."

Aunt Beth's eyebrow quirked upwards. "And it doesn't bother you at all?"

"Nope." Courtney glanced away slightly. "Well.. maybe only a little, but only because this real jerk how doesn't like Beach was here earlier.. I'm not worried about the jump. But this officer really seems to hate Beach over something from a long time ago. But No One wants to tell me what it was about." She fumed for a moment. "But Benny says to ignore him, and that he doesn't matter. It's hard though, I'd much rather put both hands around his skinny pencil neck and squeeeeeeze..."

"Now dear..." Aunt Beth's voice managed to sound disapproving and amused at the same time. "Violence is not the answer in every situation."

"Nooo, but it's soo satisfying." She took a deep breath. "He just snipes at Beach at every opportunity, and Beach can't respond without the jerkwad pulling rank on him. It's like he's just baiting him, trying to get him to do something that he can write him up for. What a jerk!" She growled loudly.

Aunt Beth's gaze had gone rather steely. "Sounds rather like he's enjoying bullying Wayne. If he does it around me, I'll give him a piece of my mind. I despise bullies. And since I have no rank to speak of, there's not much he can do to threaten me."

Courtney smiled and almost purred. "Good. I hope he shows up. I'd love to see you emasculate him with a few choice words."

Sergeant Green reappeared, limping alongside a private who was listening intently to his instructions before darting off at a run. "Hello again ladies." He let his lips curl upwards just a little bit. "Are you enjoying the day? It's going to rain Ranger men soon."

Aunt Beth nodded. "Oh yes. I've never seen anything like this, so I'm quite excited." She nodded towards CoverGirl. "I think I'll let you two talk, I need to take a walk myself."

Sergeant Green nodded at her. "The jump will be about another twenty minutes." He watched her walk away and turned to CoverGirl who fidgeted. "Alright.. look." His expression turned hard and serious. "What are you after with Sneeden? Whatever it is, I'll get it for you. You're just going to let him go."

Courtney looked up at him. "No, I'm not. All I want is for him to be happy. I'm not interested in you.. or Benny, or any other guy that's trying to get into my pants. Just Beach."

Sarge's jaw clenched. "Girl... I'm not going to let you toy with him and then drop kick him. I dragged his sorry ass all over the place, kept him alive through firefights that should have killed all of us, threw him into Ranger school... and I'm not going to let another two-bit hussy destroy him."

Hey hackles went up. "Hussy? Look.. you may be his old sergeant, but I'm not going to stand for..." She stopped and her gaze narrowed. "What do you mean by 'another hussy'?" He shook his head and she crossed her arms stubbornly. "No, I'm getting very sick of all the veiled hints of something that happened long ago, and if you're expecting me to drop the man I love for no reason, then you're going to be sorely disappointed."

Green's scowl deepened. "I shouldn't have to tell you anything, but if you're going to be this asinine over it... he's gone through it before. It was ugly and I ain't about to let you do the same thing."

Courtney stepped up to right under his face. "You look. I love him, I'm risking everything to pursue him, I've dealt with more crap than you can imagine while pursuing him. If he doesn't want me, he'll have to tell me himself. I don't know what happened before, but I don't have any hidden agenda or plans. I don't know why he keeps backing off, I don't know why you keep sniping at me, and I don't know that I care, except I don't want to hurt him by me not knowing. SO... either tell me what the hell happened.. or shut up and let us work it out on our own." She glared hard. "If you want to stop me, you better use one of your nifty Ranger tricks to kill me right here and now. Because that's how you'll stop me from going after the only man I've ever loved."

Daniel shifted his gaze away, conceding to her. "It's not my place..."

She exploded. "STOP IT! For god's sake! Just tell me already! Half a dozen people here know! Just tell me!"

Breathing in deep, Daniel made the decision inside himself. "Well.. hell." Motioning to the side he encouraged her to walk with him. His limp meant they walked slowly, but she didn't care if she'd finally find out what part of Beach's past was haunting him.

"You'll have to understand, we weren't around when it all actually happened. We all found out after the fact. So I can tell you what we were there for." She nodded patiently while he gathered his thoughts. "Sneeden was a young dumb idealistic grunt private right out of Basic. He was a up-and-coming cadre assistant too, because he was fair and fresh-minded and ready to take on the whole world for the Army. I'm guessing because he didn't have much else to depend on, he was all about doing right by the military and especially for his sergeants. But some female recruit led him on and slept with him, then turned around and tried to blackmail her way into a position by saying he raped her, used his position with the cadre to force her to have sex with him." Daniel waited for Courtney to finish cursing. "Yeah.. well, he was just a kid. Everything he'd worked his butt off for, every achievement he'd won, all went down the tubes. Her side wanted him drummed out on a dishonorable discharge... but he lucked out and his sergeant went to bat for him hardcore. So he was stripped of any awards, and sent off to New York to a new base, supposedly to a new start."

"That... that BITCH! Tell me I can get a hold of her now.. I'll strangle her slowly..." CoverGirl snarled and kicked at the grass.

Sarge almost smiled at her anger. "Settle down.. I'm getting to the parts you'll want to hear.." He waited for her to calm. "The new station wasn't supposed to know about anything with Sneeden. Just that he was a new guy stationed there, no real reason. But.. of course, scuttlebutt gets around, in this case, helped by the girl's supporters. So next thing our guy knows, he's getting his butt kicked for raping a recruit under his authority. His unit took it upon themselves, with full unofficial blessing of the officers, to 'teach' Sneeden to respect women."

"Oh hell.. why do I have the feeling I'm going to add some more people on my list of 'people to kill in a messy manner'?" CoverGirl stepped a bit closer to hear his low voice.

"You'd be right. Most of his time was spent on guard duty, standing a post somewhere. If a female, Army or civilian, even looked at him, much less asked him for directions or ordered him to help with something, Sneeden caught it from the guys when his shift was over. They beat him at least a few times a week. He was there almost a year before our Captain came through, looking for guys he could poach from other units to fill out our combat roster. He spotted Sneeden and for some reason, decided he'd do just fine. Went to the officer in charge and said 'I want that guy' and got him reassigned to our combat unit, mainly because his officer figured he'd get killed the first firefight he walked into."

"So you were part of the combat unit then.. you and Benny." Courtney was trying to digest all this new information.

"Yeah.. I was a sergeant even then.. Benny was a buck private, all full of himself but a damned good soldier. We were both experienced in combat though, while Sneeden was the fresh meat... never fired a gun at a person ever." Shaking his head, Daniel sighed. "The captain told us the story, said it was a load of bull puckey on a cracker, and if Captain said it, that was IT. Captain told us the poor kid hadn't wandered more than twenty feet from his side the entire rest of the recruiting trip. Good lord but he was a skinny bundle of bones. He could shoot, he could run.. but he just hadn't a damned clue about real fighting. We tried to bring him up to speed, but it was hard. Spending a year getting beaten for everything he did had just about whipped him. The captain said he wasn't broken though, so we dragged him along and he turned into a trooper in no time. Couldn't fault him for not trying, that's for sure. Benny wasn't kidding about him being like a puppy in that regard." Daniel sobered. "He never quite forgot that whole thing though. He'd twitch if a woman tried to approach him. Half the guys teased him about it, saying he was shy. But Captain knew.. that conditioning took hard. He might have stopped twitching, but he's never trusted a woman showing interest in him since then."

She stopped walking and ran a hand through her hair a few times. "I can see why not.. but.. I'm not that way. He just won't let me in. I know he wants it, Daniel.. I do. He just can't bring himself to step up for it." She sighed heavily. "I just can't imagine Beach ever getting beaten up by a bunch of... bullies."

Daniel looked across the field for his men, checking to see everyone was doing their job. "Yeah well.. he might be a big side of beef now, but then he was just a half-grown kid, underweight and half-trained. Besides, I don't care what kind of badass you are, if you put enough live bodies on the other side, you'll go down. Sneeden wasn't any kind of bad ass either.. he just wanted to do as he was told, like he'd been taught."

"Well, he's certainly impressive enough now. I guess it explains why he's such a social misfit. No one is very friendly to him.. just a few people he can't manage to drive off." She folded her arms. "It's a lot of work, liking Beachhead... much less loving Wayne."

"Well, that isn't all him.. that's partly that he's a drill instructor. Drills are universally hated and loved by their troops. That's normal. Just.. he doesn't want anyone getting under his skin again to hurt him. We took a lot of care with him, building him up into what he was meant to be.. and if you're playing him, some angle you're getting at.." He leveled a scary glare at her. "Lady or not, there's folks that can make you disappear. Either officially or not."

She stared back up into his hard eyes. "First, I only want to make him happy. Second, I won't disappear so easily. I might not be a Ranger, but I'm no dainty flower from the secretarial pool either."

His tolerant smile made her hackles rise a little bit. "I bet you aren't. But.. if you hurt him... I'll see to things myself if I have to. Rangers take care of our own. I want to think you'll be a good thing for him.. he seems awfully attached to you. Courtney.. Benny and me.. we're the only guys left out of our unit. Everyone else is dead now. Either combat related or after we were reassigned after the conflicts were done.. stupid accidents, illness and just plain bad luck. It's not real fair.. seeing your buddies dying. Sneeden dropped off our radar and I just about assumed he was lost in some hush-hush military mission. Then here he arrives at Rendezvous, dragging along a gorgeous woman who seems to be trying to be his girlfriend. I hope he's doing well and things in life are going well for at least one of us."

"He's pretty respected where he is, he seems happy with the work and well...we're working on the whole dating thing. He's coming around to the idea. He can be a real slow learner but he's trying to keep up his side of the relationship.. in his own way." Daniel's questioning upward quirk of an eyebrow made her smile. "Oh.. he does odd things for me.. like he shines my bullets. He bought me a radiator for my project car.. for a Christmas present. God help him, he even got me a cactus plant, because I told him I don't care for flowers and he thought a cactus would be good. Made me feel a little bad about hitting him in the head with it."

Daniel stepped back looking appalled. "You did what?"

She bristled a little defensively. "Well.. he said he got me a cactus because it was prickly just like me! And that I probably wouldn't neglect and kill it, because it was tough and could withstand my 'lack of nurturing ability'! I mean.. geez!"

He tried not to laugh but failed. After a moment, he reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders and give a squeeze. "Ahhh Courtney.. you do bring out the romantic in Sneeden, don't you?"

She couldn't stay angry and rolled her eyes. "I guess so.. why couldn't you guys teach him a little about how to date instead of how to field strip a M16 in ten seconds flat?"

"Because we figure the M16 would be better for him than a woman would. Heck... Benny bought him a hooker in country once. Does that count?" He took the punch to his bicep in stride. "I'm guessing no?"

"I think you guys taught him more of his dating skills than I thought." She sighed. "So.. will I need to hire a food taster, or am I approved to date your old cohort?"

"I think you'll do, mechanic girl. We'll be keeping an eye out though.. as much good as that does, with him under the radar like he is." Daniel nodded his head over at the slowly approaching Aunt Beth. "Who is the goody-two-shoes, by the way? What's her angle?"

Courtney smiled and waved at her, reassuring her that the private talk was over by inviting her over. "Aunt Beth is just what she appears. She's actually a relative of one of our teammates and she adores Beach. But you better watch it, she's got wicked spoon skills, whack you in the head before you can duck."

"I'll keep that in mind." Daniel nodded to her as she walked up. "Ma'am. Thank you for giving me a few minutes to speak to the corporal here. I do appreciate it."

"Of course dear." She looked off to search for the planes. "I worry about poor Wayne, jumping out of a plane like this."

Both of the Army people laughed at that. Daniel was the one that answered her concern. "Don't worry about Sneeden, he likes jumping out of planes and all that fun stuff." He sighed heavily and his voice got softer. "I sure wish I could be up there with them."

Aunt Beth's gentle hand rested on his arm. "Sometimes there is another plan for us, something different than what we had in mind. But there's always a reason for it."

He looked down at the small older woman and Courtney actually saw her honest charm win him over. "Yes ma'am... I expect that's true. The Army put me where they figured I could be useful still." He jerked his chin at the horizon. "Besides, Benny is right there with our boy. I suspect the list was tweaked a bit on Benny's behalf to get him on the same roster as Sneeden. Not that any of us Rangers would stoop to bribery or using any inside influence to change roster lists... of course."

Aunt Beth didn't show the slightest amusement. "Of course not. Rangers would never consider such." She suddenly put her hand to her mouth. "Oh! Is that the planes now?"

"Yep.. that'd be the planes with our Rangers." Daniel tilted his head up and judged the winds. "They'll drop just to the south and land over in this open field in front of us."

Courtney watched the approaching planes and felt just a little bit of a thrill even though she tried to be casual about it. She watched the front plane, waiting for the Rangers to begin jumping out.

* * *

Beach finished fastening his harnessing that held his parachute pack on, then adjusted for the Alice pack as well. He was weighted down with over seventy pounds of equipment. Each Ranger was decked out in full gear for the jump. Each strap was checked, tightened, tugged, re-checked and finally he bent his legs in a deep squat. Straightening up again, he twisted to each side. Someone bumped and jostled him from behind and he turned, only to need to turn the opposite direction to 'catch' the person shoving at him.

Benny looked at him. "What? You ready?"

"Yeah.. you wanna check my straps?" Beach stood still while the smaller man tugged at his various straps and buckles. "Good?"

Benny nodded and waited while Beach returned the favor. "Yeah, you still remember how to tie your shoes too? I'm amazed. I guess we taught you pretty well if you still remember all the lessons. When's the last time you jumped out of a plane anyway?"

Beach tilted his head. "Ain't been very long, can't talk about it. You know how it is." He suddenly brightened. "Ain't been that long since I jumped over Benning in fact. Trainin' run." He suddenly frowned. "Course, that didn't go as planned... found out the danged medical staff here ain't lost none of their edge fer trappin' patients what don't want to stay."

Benny looked startled. "That was.. you? I didn't pay too much attention at the time, and never looked into it. Just that some guy parachuted into a closed area without permission, saved some female recruit..." He turned and stared. "That was Courtney? Damn man.. if I had known you were on base, holed up in the hospital, I'd have come visited."

"Yeah well..." Beach turned at the shouting. "Time to load up. Come on Benny.. 'bout time I got to jump with one of the old unit. No one I'd rather have by me."

Benny looked a little sad for a moment then brightened up. "Yeah, there's not many of us left, but I'm right here with you, BeachHead!" He clapped the larger Ranger on the shoulder and watched his mouth quirk upwards in something that might actually have been a smile. "Ahhh don't get all sappy now, just get in the plane so we can kick your fat butt out of it at altitude!"

"Benny.. shut up or I'll sit on you." Beach stepped into line and then turned to be confronted with an annoyed looking Warrant officer. "Mr Amore... so good to see ya again, always such a pleasure to see yer cheerful face." He smirked at Amore as his face darkened. "Gotta go join the rest a the Raaangers on the plane..." His emphasis on the term made Amore scowl even harder.

Benny managed to jostle the taller Army officer with his shoulder. "Huh? Oh sorry about that, Warrant officer Amore.." He turned and nearly knocked him down with the big parachute pack. "Ooops... my bad, sir.. just a little clumsy of me.."

Amore sputtered angrily and stumbled over Beach's slightly outstretched leg to tumble to the grass. "Damn it!"

Beach peered down at him. "Sorry.. didn't ya see me standin' here? Ah'll try to be more noticeable next time." Benny reached to help Amore up and banged his elbow into the man's shoulder instead, knocking him sideways off his feet again. "Benny! Be more careful dang it! Amore is delicate.. ya might injure him!" Beach reached with a meaty hand to grab Amore by the back of his jacket and hauled him to his feet like a child, setting him upright and giving him a brush-off before patting him in the chest hard enough to stagger him backwards. "There ya go. Sorry 'bout that, sir, we Rangers just get a bit over-excited a'fore jumpin' outa planes.. ya know how it is.. err..." He tilted his head apologetically. "Well, naw.. I guess ya don't.. bein' ground-poundin' Army.. anyway.. gotta load up!"

Benny ducked his head slightly as he passed the angry Army officer. "Sorry sir, I'll be more careful around you next time. Promise!" He climbed into the plane behind Beach and began chuckling softly. "That was classic.. he's gonna have apoplexy out there."

Beach snorted in amusement. "We can only hope. Back up." He nudged Benny against the wall and shrugged his shoulders to resettle the straps into place better. "It's good to see ya, Benny.. real good."

"Yeah Sneeden... just.." Benny paused. "Never mind.. it's good you came to Rendezvous."

They relaxed standing in place awaiting their arrival at the drop zone. The planes all took off one after another, the rattling and sudden jerking around of the planes making the Rangers sway in place slightly. It took them a while to get in position and finally they were lining up to snap their chute lines on. Standing and waiting for the door light to switch to green from red, Beach tightened his helmet's chin strap slightly. There was another jostle from behind, and he twisted to look down at Benny. "Stop crowdin' me Benny, dang, you'll get to jump too."

"Hard not to bump into you when you take up so much room." Benny jabbed at Beach's arm. "Hey.. " He suddenly seemed very serious. "You always were a good man to fight beside, no one I would rather make this jump with."

Beach nodded. "You and Sarge both.. good men." There was a loud beep and the light began to flash. "Ready up.." He waited impatiently as the line began to shift. The door was swung open and he couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face. "RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!" His shout was taken up by the rest and the light finally turned solid green and the jump master began shouting and motioning each man to the door and out. Beach turned at the last second as he stepped up to the open doorway, the wind rushing past him. "See ya onna ground, Benny!"

He saw the much smaller man nod at him then he was catapulting himself out the door into open sky, waiting the long ten-count before the chute line yanked the pack open, his parachute rippling out and suddenly flipping open with a massive wrench. The thrill that ran through him suddenly chilled with the popping noise above his head. "Awww... crap..." Peering up, he saw the lines parting, the left hand edge of the parachute beginning to flutter and loose it's shape. Several more lines began to snap and he reached up to his straps to tug hard, trying to control the tearing futilely. The failure on the edge made the parachute begin to spin and he felt his descent beginning to increase to a dangerous speed.

Despite gathering the support straps in both hands to try to reshape the chute, Beach couldn't get it under control, a check on his altimeter showed he was too low to attempt to drop the damaged chute and release his reserve. He'd have to hope that the speed he landed at would be slow enough for him to survive. As he dropped towards the earth at a frighteningly increasing speed he struggled to keep his bearings.

Suddenly the grass was right there, and he tried to wrench his body around to land properly to be able to absorb the impact in a roll. The landing still drove all of the air from his lungs, a leg folded painfully underneath him and he was barely conscious long enough to try to roll onto his side before passing out into a dark oblivion.

* * *

END Chapter

Yes, I'm aware I'm evil. It's a cliffhanger. I couldn't give you a Double-sized chapter without making some twist, doncha know! I can assure you, Beach isn't dead. Thank you for reading!


	10. Battered but not broken

Chap 10

Sorry for the cliffhanger... it's necessary once in a while. Beach really does have poor luck jumping out of planes over Ft Benning doesn't he?

Without making you a lot of notes, go read the story... now!

* * *

Daniel was struggling to hobble across the field at a run, shouting into his radio for the soldiers to keep the cordoned line intact, not for anyone to be allowed onto the field except medical and emergency personnel. The radio traffic was controlled as voices instructed the medics to the scene and asked for reports about the downed Ranger. He scanned the field for familiar faces, checking to see the Rangers he knew and worked with were not the one that had the parachute failure. He saw the small group of Rangers surrounding the prone form and cursed. "Move out of the way.. is he alive? Medical is on the way, everyone back off. Specialist Kraft! Cut your chute before a gust knocks you down! Everyone go get your chutes gathered up.. standard procedure, we'll take care of him, you're not a damned medic, get out of the way!"

As the concerned Rangers dispersed, the ones kneeling next to the figure looked up and nodded at him. "Sergeant Green... he's not conscious, but he was moving around some. Breathing, airway, pulse all close to normal range. No bleeding we can find, other than his nose is bleeding like a stuck pig."

Daniel looked for the medics and saw them approaching at a run carrying bags and a stretcher. "Good, name and rank? I'll call it in." All he could see was the packs and edge of a sleeve as he was behind the curled up body.

The answer sent a chill down his spine. "Sneeden, Sergeant major.."

He rushed around to peer at the slack features streaked with a trickle of blood from the familiar crooked nose. "Aww crap.." He clicked the radio on to report the name and rank, adding in the general location for Courtney for her to be alerted. Then he knelt to bend over and speak to his old comrade in arms. "Hey Sneeden.. come on.. wake up.." He was given a slight grunt as a reply and spoke louder. "Dammit Beach.. either you wake up right now, or I'm sending Benny to ask your girlfriend out!"

Beach groaned and mumbled, struggling to lift his head. "Dunn.. 'ourtnaay maayn..." Hands restrained his movements. "Nahh Benny.."

"It's alright.. Benny isn't taking Courtney.. I just need you awake.. come on.." Unfocused eyes flickered open and tried to peer around in confusion. The medics arrived, one immediately grabbing an arm to tug the sleeve loose. That one caught a heavy blow across his ear as Beach struck out wildly. Daniel caught the flailing arm to hold it still. "Calm down.. it's the medics.. no hitting the medics."

The second medic quickly unfastened all his straps by slicing through everything impartially, tugging the packs out of the way. "Stay still, you could be badly injured.. look at me.." A hand pinned his head to the ground and the medic wiped the grass and dirt out of the way. "Look at the light.."

Beach coughed roughly and tried to get his arms free. "Get off me... what happened?"

"Pupils reactive. You've probably got a concussion.. I'm going to have to immobilize you in case you have a spinal injury, understand?"

"No.. I'm okay.." Beach managed to get one arm loose, although he failed to extract the one Daniel held. "Leggo.. I'm fine.."

Benny arrived, out of breath, having dropped his entire pack and gear to speed over. "Is he dead? Is Beach dead?"

Sarge looked up. "No.. he's not dead. Calm down." Benny wrung his hands and looked anxiously at his struggled friend. "Benny, it's okay.. he'll be fine." At that the corporal nodded and took a deeper breath.

"Ah'm dead? Ah dun wanna be dead!" Beach protested more as his helmet was removed, all his fussing ignored by the experienced EMTs who were assessing his injuries or lack of injuries.

"You're not dead." The remarkably unconcerned medic he'd swatted aside was back, trying to straighten out the leg that was folded back at an awkward angle. "Can you move your feet?"

"Ah can kick yer butt if'n ya'll don't let me up.." Beach managed to sit partway up before he was pinned back down by Daniel. "Get offa me Sarge!"

"Lie still you stubborn hick!" Daniel did his best to help hold him still while the medics checked him over. "We're going to put you on a stretcher.."

"No, yer not.. get offa me.." Beach managed to shrug his way free to sit up, groaning in pain. "I'm fine.. just let me up.. nothin' is broke.. I'm okay."

Benny reached to help him. "Beach, you should listen to Sarge.. he said we'd put you on a stretcher..."

"Get off me ya pint-sized Ranger.. I'm fine!" Against the recommendations of the medics, Beach stayed sitting upright, stretching his limbs and wincing. "Ain't nothin' broke.."

"You could have spinal injuries.." The head medic sighed at him. "Fine.. I'll make a deal with you. I'll let you get up and walk out.. but you'll go straight to the ambulance to be taken to the doctors to be checked."

"That ain't much of a deal." Beach sniffed slightly and wiped blood off his lip. "Dang nose is still bleeding."

"Well.." The medic raised both eyebrows with a wry smile. "It's either that or I'll have Sergeant Green here help me strap you to a stretcher and if you give us too much trouble, I'll immobilize you with enough braces and temporary casts to need four guys to carry your carcass to the ambulance, and you'll end up where I want you in the end anyway."

His patient sighed heavily, then coughed and sniffed, wiping blood off his lip again. "Fine, whutever." Green and the medic both took an arm and lifted him to his feet. A loud roar went up from the onlookers in support as he was assisted in walking to the waiting ambulance. "What are they all yellin' fer?"

Benny looked and then shook his head. "They're probably all happy you didn't turn into Ranger jam on the big jump. I'll go find that girlfriend of yours and bring her over to Medical for you. We can meet you there."

He darted off and Beach yelled hoarsely after him. "Don't be hittin' on my girlfriend! And find Aunt Beth too, or she'll have my head!" He grunted as he stepped up into the back of the ambulance. "Ow.. I hope she didn't see that drop.. she'll whack me with a dang spoon."

Daniel snorted. "She really uses a spoon on people? Yeah, she saw it. Everyone saw it. We didn't know it was you though, they might still not know, so Benny can let them know and give them a lift over to the hospital so they won't worry too much."

"Thanks." Beach wiped at his nose yet again. "Can I have somethin' to mop the danged blood offa my face?" He was handed a gauze pad. "Thanks... I'm okay, really. Just jarred me somethin' fierce." He blew his nose loudly, only to be chastised by the medics. "What? I got grass up my danged nose!"

"Your nose won't stop bleeding if you're blowing it!" The medic pinched his nostrils shut and held his head still. "We're going to need you to lie back on the stretcher so we can drive you to the infirmary.. "

Beach made a slight honking noise and pulled his face loose from the loose grip. "I keep saying I'm fine. Where's my gear? I wanna see what the heck happened."

Sarge motioned to one of the lurking Rangers. "Bring his gear over, there's no good reason for a chute failure like that, someone didn't check it right, and that someone is going to get an ass chewing from me!"

"I wanna know who busted my danged gear!" Beach pushed the hands aside. "Dang it! I ain't leavin' until I see the gear!"

Daniel stepped up to the door of the ambulance. "Beach! Shut it! Lie down and let them do their job!"

"Not until I see the gear! Someone could swap it out and hide the evidence!"

Now Sarge rolled his eyes. "Obviously, you have whacked your thick skull too hard! What evidence? It was equipment failure!"

One of the Rangers came up with an armful of parachute and the remnants of the packs. Beach climbed down out the ambulance, shrugging off the protesting medics. He snatched up the pack while Green shuffled through the chute itself. Beach held up the pack itself. "Look! LOOK! There's a hole cut in the pack! That's not failure, that's a hole!"

Sarge glanced at it. "Yeah, and all the straps are cut.. by the medics, getting you out of it. It's probably just from them trying to slice you out, now get back in the ambulance before I knock you out with a fist to your stubborn head."

"Yeah! What about the chute lines?" Beach ducked the grab of one of the medics. "Get off me!"

"The lines parted, they just failed.. you know how these lines are. Doesn't mean someone cut the lines. Who would cut up your chute?" Sarge took Beach by his arm and forcibly lifted him up into the ambulance. "Get in there." He blocked his attempt to get back out. "Sit down! Damn it Beach!"

"You KNOW who! He was out here messing with chute packs, why? He ain't even a Ranger!"

Sarge leaned in to speak quieter. "Beach, shut up. You can't accuse Amore of sabotaging your chute. Yeah, he was packing chutes, but how would he figure out which one would be yours? Okay?"

"Yeah but..." Beach stopped, completely stymied by the logic that Daniel presented. "But.. he..."

"Sit down.. go on.. get on the gurney and shut up, Sneeden." With the ordering and coaxing, Beach laid back and let the medics finally do their job, securing him and transporting him quickly over to the hospital.

* * *

CoverGirl paced around in a circle in the waiting room, watched by Aunt Beth and Benny. Aunt Beth tried to reassure her, only to have the young woman shrug her off. She paced again, grumbling softly about the time it was taking to get any information. Benny sat to the side quietly.

Sergeant Green came out first and held up his hands when the two women rushed up demanding news. "Hang on! Hang on! He's fine.. a little bruised and a lot pissy. Got jarred pretty badly but he's back there yelling at all the doctors and arguing about whether he needs any Xrays or tests."

CoverGirl let out a heavy sigh of relief. "That means he's fine then.."

"Course Ah'm fine!" Beach's grumpy voice came from the hall and they all wheeled around to stare at the burly Ranger pushing a intern off his arm to continue staggering along. He plucked a wire off his chest, wincing as he did so. A dangling I.V. was captured by the intern and clamped shut. "Get offa me! Danged medics!"

"Come back here!" Two more interns came running down the corridor. "You can't leave yet!"

Beach managed to fend them off. "If'n ya'll don't leave me be, Ah'll start kicking some butt! Now git away from me!" CoverGirl grasped an arm while Sarge shook his head wryly and captured his other arm and began unceremoniously dragging him back down the hallway. "HEY! Who's side are ya'll on anyway!"

Courtney soothed at him. "We're on your side of course.. but you have to stay long enough for them to run the tests. Then you can leave."

"Or... OR... Ya'll could let me leave now and that'd be more efficient than me wasting half the danged day sitting around here!" Beach tried to pull free and failed. He gave in to limp along. "This is STUPID! Why the heck I gotta go get them poking in my head?"

"Because we have to make sure what few brain cells you have are still in there, Wayne." Aunt Beth's chastising made Beach duck his head slightly. "Now behave for ten minutes and stop giving the doctors so much trouble."

He grumbled slightly but nodded. "Yes'm... but.."

"Wayne!"

He ended up back in the relieved doctors' clutches. Even though he cooperated more or less, he wasn't quiet about it, complaining loudly to anyone within earshot. Even Aunt Beth's occasional chastising didn't make him behave. It wasn't until Courtney stepped up to take his hand in hers and speak quietly that he settled.

"Wayne, you could have died.. I was really terrified. Please.. just let them make sure you're okay?" Her large eyes blinked slowly and Beach shut up abruptly.

Sarge tried not to grin at it. "Well, if I'm not needed to restrain Ditch here..." He received a glare. "I'll go make myself useful and start filling out the incident report. Come on Benny.." The smaller Ranger threw a soulful look at BeachHead but turned to follow the Sergeant out without remarking at all.

Beach shifted himself around and reached to pick at the sensor stuck to his chest. "I still think I should have the gear inspected.. that weren't no accident."

Courtney's hand covered his and tugged it away from the sensor. "Leave that alone. And Daniel already told you, there's no way you could have been targeted. Just drop it, Beach. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

He frowned. "Yeah but... " Letting out a exasperated breath he tossed hands in the air. "Fine. Ya'll can all say accident. I still say it wasn't one though.."

Aunt Beth interrupted with her quiet voice. "Why couldn't it have been deliberate?"

Before Beach could start up, CoverGirl shook her head. "Daniel said Amore was inspecting packs on the field, but the packs weren't personally designated.. there were no names on the packs. The Rangers just went and picked up a pack to use, so there is no way at all for Amore to guess which pack Beach would use. So he couldn't have done anything."

Aunt Beth nodded. "That makes sense. And he wasn't around after Wayne picked his parachute?"

Beach suddenly sat up straight. "He was beside the plane!"

CoverGirl rolled her eyes. "So Amore somehow managed to get close enough to mess with your pack.. and you didn't notice?"

Beach slumped back, looking decidedly sulky about it. "Well.. why was he standing right there where I was then? Just cause I didn't... uhh.. notice him doin' nothin'..." He trailed off, trying to think of how to make sense of it all.

"See? You're being paranoid. Warrant officer Amore might not like you, but that doesn't mean he'd try to kill you.. now does it?" She leaned forward, resting her weight on her hands on the edge of the gurney. "I know you're suspicious... but you're sort of going towards paranoid now."

"Whatever." Beach lifted his eyes when the medic came in. "Why's it takin' so danged long to get checked out? Ain't no reason to keep me sittin' in here..."

"You're right..." The medic interrupted him. ".. and we're cutting you loose, as long as you take it easy the rest of the day, and if you feel faint, or your headache gets worse..." Even as he told the Ranger all the things he shouldn't do, or watch for, or avoid.. Beach was grabbing up his shirt and dragging it on, taking a few seconds to pull loose all the wires and sensors. ".. or you could ignore all my instructions and run amuck and end up in a coma until you wither away and die of bedsores." The medic crossed his arms and glared as Beach straightened from tying his boots back on.

"Yeah.. thanks, so I'm good to go?" Beach stood impatiently as the medic sighed and nodded. "Alright!" He motioned at CoverGirl and Aunt Beth, shooing them towards the doors. "Let's get outa here a'fore they get some notion I need more tests.."

"Beach!" CoverGirl scrambled ahead as he swatted at her rear. "Okay okay.. we're leaving.. see?" They went outside and stood on the steps. "Well, any ideas on where we're headed? I don't think you planned anything past getting out of the hospital as quickly as possible."

"Ahhh.. and once again, you'd be wrong.. do ya ever get used to bein' wrong?" Beach took a punch to his arm and winced away, almost doubling over, grasping at his arm. "Dang! Woman.. yer gonna kill me.."

Courtney covered her mouth in horror. "Oh Beach! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm so sorry, I didn't know your arm was hurt!" She started to reach to help him and then pulled back, afraid to touch him as he staggered sideways.

Beach suddenly straightened up. "It ain't." He grinned at her. "Just foolin'... you shoulda seen yer face!" He jumped and tried to dodge away futilely as CoverGirl grabbed his collar and smacked him a few times sharply. "OW! OW!"

"Oh you! You deserve it! You are SO mean!" She stopped and turned him loose to glare and point. "You are treading on THIN damned ice, mister!" Courtney crossed her arms while Beach held his hands up defensively. "You better wipe that grin off your face right now!"

Aunt Beth cleared her throat. "Now children..." They both stopped sheepishly. "Wayne, stop taunting Courtney... Courtney, there is no need to be violent. So both of you straighten up and behave."

"Sorry Aunt Beth.. I was just.." Beach started to explain and was cut off by Courtney.

"He's just being a big butthead like always.. if he stops being a butthead, I know he's really really sick and should be dragged to the infirmary. That's just how he is.. he's just being playful.. for BeachHead." CoverGirl stepped up to hug him, which he endured gracefully. "It's okay, really.."

"Well perhaps." Aunt Beth relented. "You young people are so volatile."

They walked on and Beach suddenly inhaled. "So anyway... lunch? Cause, I dunno about ya'll ladies, but bein' terrified outa my wits always gives me a heck of a appetite."

Both women agreed readily while rolling their eyes at him and he changed direction to lead the way to one of the base messhalls. CoverGirl muttered about eating in a messhall when they had other options, but Aunt Beth declared it to be a novel experience for her, so they went. As they were standing in line, Stalker and Lydia caught up to them.

"Guys! Where did you go after the jump? Beach, I looked all over, couldn't find you anywhere." Stalker grabbed up a tray and handed one back to Lydia who shrugged at CoverGirl.

"He came and found me at the museum, and we decided to just grab lunch here rather than fighting the crowds off base." Lydia raised an eyebrow at the food on display. "This doesn't look so bad... when did they start serving food like this?"

Beach snorted at her, while pointing at various items for the cook crew to put on his plate. "Benning cooks like to put on a show fer the civies during events. Yeah.. corn too. Yeah! Well, I don't care how many side veggies most folks get, just put it on my dang plate!" The server dumped the corn onto the plate and passed it further down the line. "Thanks.. a guy gets hungry.. might as well take advantage of the good food week."

Aunt Beth smiled and reached up to pat his cheek. "It's good to see a healthy appetite in a young man."

Beach ducked away and glanced at Stalker who wore a huge smirk. "Well.. yeah.." He cleared his throat. "How'd yer jump go, Lonzo?"

"Well now, it went great." Stalker pointed. "Green bean casserole? Yeah." He gave Beach a wry look. "Right up until I was walking around with ninety pounds of gear, trying to find you, only to realize you weren't out there." He glared at his fellow Ranger.

Beach grimaced at him. "Sorry, next time I go and crash land, I'll make certain to tell the ambulance crew to wait until I've checked in with you first."

Stalker's jaw dropped. "That was you? Hell man... you didn't escape the doctors, did you? Are they looking for you?"

CoverGirl laughed while Beach elbowed her irritably. "Shut it, ya hyena. No, I ain't hidin' from no doctors. I went in and behaved and got checked out."

Aunt Beth snorted at him. "Yes.. after everyone sat on you and pinned you to the gurney. Then you were perfectly behaved.. except for the yelling."

Stalker sighed theatrically. "Oh well.. thank goodness. For a moment I was worried you had hit your head harder than ever before.. Beach doesn't EVER behave for the doctors."

"That ain't true!" Beach protested. "I behaved really well after appendix surgery!"

"That's a lie.. I remember hearing the shouting from the floor above you." Stalker looked at Aunt Beth's back and then at Beach, raising his eyebrows in a questioning expression.

Beach looked at her and then blinked. "Oh! Sorry.. Beth O'Hara meet Lonzo Wilkinson.. Lonzo, this is Beth."

Stalker looked down at her, balanced his tray on one hand and clasped hers for a second. "Shana's aunt? Nice to meet you." They managed to find their way to a open table and got settled to eat. "So you're the infamous Aunt Beth who sends Beach those packages and the letters he hoards away from all of us?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Does no one else get a package ever on your base? Yes, that would be me. Wayne should get some boxed up love once in a while."

Courtney smiled and kept quiet, while Stalker outright grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah! And besides.. you make the BEST cookies ever! Never had cookies as good as that."

Lydia gave him an icy stare. "Oh really? I thought that my cookies were the 'best ever'."

Stalker sputtered and tried back-pedaling quickly. "Oh no no.. your cookies are really the.. uhh.. the most excellent.. by far, honey. I love your cookies."

Beach chewed at his food a few seconds, watching thoughtfully as the couple wrangled a bit. "Hey... so now I'm not the one in trouble!"

Aunt Beth shook a finger at him. "Wayne! Stop that."

He ducked away. "Well I ain't! Lonzo done went and put his foot in his mouth.. insteada me doin' it. Kinda nice bein' the good one fer a change."

Courtney snorted. "Don't worry Aunt Beth.. it's just the sheer novelty of the situation. It's not the norm for Beach to not be the one saying something stupid. He stays in trouble so much of the time.." She paused to fend him off as he tried to put a hand over her mouth. ".. in.. get off me! In trouble so much.. he might as well go poke a cranky porcupine as open his mouth around anyone."

Beach glared at her, sitting back in his chair. "Why ya gotta go and make out like I got no manners?" She protested and tried to pat him only for him to shrug her off. "Naw.. leave off. If'n yer gonna be mean... I don't want ya all over me."

Lonzo smirked. "Now who's in trouble?"

Lydia scowled at her man. "Don't think that just because Courtney is in the doghouse that you're back on the porch, Mister Alonzo." He leaned over to kiss her a few times and she finally smiled. "That's better."

Beach snorted loudly. "Lonzo..." Courtney elbowed him hard. "Hey! Don't be jabbin' me with them elbows of yours."

"Trust me... you don't want to continue that comment." Her significant look missed entirely as he frowned.

Completely ignoring her facial expression that said 'shut up now', he continued. "What? He's whipped. He's all falling over to make up just cause he told the truth.." He blinked as three sets of female eyes fixed on him. "What?"

Lonzo beamed happily. "And NOW I'm on the porch.. thanks Beach, you're the man!"

Lydia slapped lightly at his arm, smiling despite herself. "You just stop.. we all expect it from Beach.. not from you." Courtney shushed BeachHead when he started to say more. "Listen to the pretty woman, big man.. she's really trying to help you out."

"Well, she's really tryin'.. to my patience." Taking a few moments to finish the food on his plate, Beach offered to take the plates up. The crowded messhall was becoming more packed as shift change happened. The regular Army personnel obviously expected the heavy crowd and seemed resigned to it. Once the small group exited, Stalker and Lydia excused themselves to go on an errand of some sort.

"Suppose they're goin' on a errand.. or back to the motel?" Beach was glared at by both women again. "What? Geez.. ya'll keep givin' me the old stink-eye no matter what I say!"

"Beach... just..." Courtney sighed and turned to Aunt Beth. "Is there anything you'd like to do while you're down here at Benning? I'm here for the rest of the week with Beach... god help me... so I don't have any preferences."

She looked up at Beach then smiled at Courtney. "Thank you dear.. that's very sweet of you. I don't want to intrude but.. if you wouldn't mind I'd love to see the museum on base?"

She tucked her arm around Aunt Beth. "Of course! You must have heard about the World War II display? I wanted to see that too." Beach opened his mouth to ask why she hadn't said anything about it and she promptly stepped on his foot making him jump sideways. "Beach was saying he wanted to check it out himself." She smiled tightly at him and he blinked.

"I uhhh.." He tucked his hands into his pockets and ducked around to the far side of the matron. "Yeah.. uhh.. display."

Aunt Beth tutted at him and tugged him to between them. "Now, you have to walk with Courtney, Wayne, you're just hopeless sometimes."

"Well, she elbows me all the danged time." He twisted to offer an arm to each lady and nodded towards a walkway. "We can take that path through the admin area. Sarge did say that Benning got the new displays up just in time. He had to divert half a dozen guys to help move the last things into place."

"Really? That's fascinating, dear.." Aunt Beth nodded as he led them through the bustling crowds. "I'm so glad I came down... although next time, I could do without the falling without the parachute opening properly part."

"Yeah.. me too, Aunt Beth.. me too." Beach's suspicious expression vanished slowly as Courtney asked a few questions about the Fort Benning museum's history. Maybe he was being too paranoid. After all, he wasn't in a warzone, he was on Fort Benning. He just had a history of bad luck lately at Benning. That's all. He leaned slightly to half listen to something Aunt Beth said. "Yes ma'am." He'd enjoy the good company he had for a relaxing afternoon.

* * *

End Chapter

Look, no cliffhanger. Perhaps it was an accident? Perhaps not. Stay tuned for more. I think Aunt Beth has more in mind than just watching the parachuting. She's hinted that Beach needs a few nudges in the right direction. Will he get a chance to be nudged? Or is he too stubborn? Is this fic still entertaining to read? Is this enough questions to ask in an author's note? I think so.


	11. Ringers and Chats

Chapter 11

Glad everyone liked the last chapter. Thank all of you for the reviews! New chapter has some fun and some heart-to-heart with Aunt Beth. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Walking along the edge of the open field, Beach listened to Aunt Beth telling him which of the exhibits were set up the best. He nodded in most of the right spots and agreed with most everything. That seemed to please her and he felt like he might just be getting a handle on the entire 'dealing with women' issue. Courtney had stuck next to his elbow for the entire visit to the museum, nudging him on occasion when he seemed about to screw up too badly.

Now she was looking across the field with curiosity. "Beach.. what's over there where those guys are?"

He craned his neck to look himself. "Obstacle courses. Looks like they're running some Ranger trainees through." His steps turned towards the courses.

She tugged at his arm. "Beach.. you don't need to go over there.." Her grip seemed to slow him a little bit. "Oh nooo, not your PT courses! These are not yours!"

Beach looked down at her as she struggled to stop him futilely. "I'm just gonna show Aunt Beth how we train Rangers... you know, just so she can see what a real obstacle course is.. not that the one here is comparable to mine.. but still."

Aunt Beth looked a little uncertain. "Are you certain we're allowed? I don't see spectators over there..."

Beach smirked, and reached to take Courtney's elbow and drag her up beside him to walk. "Stop that pulling on me. Aunt Beth, I was one of the lane instructors.. it's fine."

Courtney gave up. "It's not that I think you aren't allowed.. I just think you're going to end up trying to walk over the instructors!" She rolled her eyes at Aunt Beth. "I'm not sure if you've noticed.. but Wayne here has a small tendency to be pushy and overbearing when he thinks something should be done differently."

Aunt Beth smiled gently. "Oh no dear.. even if I were deaf and blind, I would have noticed that about Wayne. But he usually means well."

The course was busy with young men racing along it, clambering over walls, under wires, and through mud and tunnels. The shouts from both the instructors and the recruits were loud. Beach strode up and stood just outside an invisible barrier watching with his hands on his hips. Courtney sighed as she watched his entire body posture switch to instructor mode. His back stiffened, his head lowered slightly and he simply looked as if he was about to throw himself at someone at any moment. "Beach... calm down.."

He looked over at her, that professional distance firmly established in his expression. "I'm calm." He'd gone away from her, changing himself from her boyfriend on vacation to a drill instructor on duty.. even though he wasn't on duty and she wanted to boot him in the head to remind him of that fact.

"Just remember.. you're not.." She tossed her hands up as he ignored her to stride across the field, beginning to yell at a laggard who was halfway up a rope net.

"Get it in gear you danged pogue! How ya ever gonna keep up with yer danged squad with ya hangin' up there insteada moving along! Ya wanna slow up yer whole squad? That it? Wanna see how many guys ya can get killed along with yer incompetent butt!" Beach moved up to the obstacle, where the poor startled recruit jumped and scrambled up to the top. "Get over that danged ridge and get a MOVE ON!" The shouting made the young man hurl himself over the topline and fly down the far side, acting as if he was terrified that Beach would come out onto the course after him if he didn't vacate the area quickly enough.

CoverGirl sighed heavily and rolled her eyes over at Aunt Beth who had a hand over her mouth as she watched. "That's our BeachHead.. he's so good at being encouraging and supportive to people. Always making them want to try their best."

Aunt Beth looked aghast. "Why is he being so mean to those poor boys?"

She smiled indulgently. "Well.. that's how he motivates them to go faster. If he thinks they aren't putting their all into something, he'll terrify them into doing it, out of sheer fear he'll come out and kick their respective tails if they don't. Nothing makes a guy push himself past his perceived limits like sheer terror."

"I suppose so.. but he's just so loud..." Aunt Beth winced as a particularly loud bellow reached them. The regular drill instructor had noticed the interloper and moved in to intercept Beach. The two women watched the short interaction, the two instructors doing a bit of circling and sniffing before they decided that they could be friendly. "Well.. it looks like Wayne has a new friend."

"Could be.. could be that's one of his fellow instructors from when he was stationed here." CoverGirl crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow when Beach looked over at them. He amazed her by understanding the subtle hint and came over. "So? Did you get all that out of your system?"

"More or less." He grinned at her and nodded at the small group struggling over and through the obstacles. "Aint' none of them hold a candle to us."

The instructor heard him and looked over with some irritation. "What was that?"

Beach snorted, gazing at the course with some disdain. "Ain't like I'm disparagin' yer guys... but Ranger trainees oughta be flyin' through a course like this. They sure as heck shouldn't be hangin' up on net climbs and barbed wire crawls. Heck... yer danged mudpits ain't hardly knee deep!"

The other instructor clamped his jaw shut for a moment, obviously taking time to calm before he responded. "This is a standard course.. and these might be Ranger trainees, but they are making times close to passing numbers." His look at Beach was a bit heated. "It's a pretty difficult course... maybe we didn't have such tough courses when you were here.. way back when..."

Beach's eyes narrowed. "When I was here, our rope climbs were higher than twenty feet.. and I never dug no mudpit that was less than waist deep.. no reason to coddle the men running it." He waved a hand at the log that was leaned at a angle up against a second one to make a long narrow ramp to run up, switch over, then run down. "Look at that danged log walk! It's gotta be shallower than forty-five degrees!"

Now the Ranger turned on Beach. "Yeah? What? You need it smoother, old man?"

CoverGirl slipped up beside Beach. "Umm.. Beach... why don't you let him train his baby Rangers... while we go find something else to show Aunt Beth?"

The instructor sneered at her. "Baby Rangers huh? Gimme a break little girl!" He snorted at Beach. "You just wish you were still at Benning, instead of a washed up half-assed Ranger without anything worthwhile to do with his career! You'll never make anything higher than a NCO.. because you don't know how to play the game. You just want to come in here and try to tell me I'm not doing a good enough job with these Ranger trainees, because you don't have anyone that can do better.. and you know it!"

Beach's hair was standing up on his neck, prickling along his shirt collar and he sniffed in a breath quickly. "Yeah? I can't do better?"

"Yeah. You ain't got a soldier better than my trainees here!" The instructor stepped back, smirking at the older man.

"Oh yeah?" Beach reached to drag a startled CoverGirl forward. "My danged girlfriend can run this course faster than yer pitiful excuses fer Ranger trainees."

She shook her head. "Oh wait... wait wait.."

The instructor slapped at her arm. "Right.. are you serious? She might break a nail if you made her actually get out in the dirt."

Aunt Beth leaned forward. "I have twenty dollars on Courtney."

CoverGirl twisted to stare at her. "DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!"

Beach snorted. "I got a hundred says she beats any five of yer pogues. Right now." He crossed his arms smugly. "Come on.. money where the mouth is.."

The instructor barked out a few names. "Front and center! Teach this idiot that his little girl here needs to stay in the secretarial pool where she belongs."

CoverGirl glared at Beach. "You are a dead man, Ranger. Dead." Despite her words, she walked over to the starting line and stretched a few seconds. Taking a moment, she pulled off her outer shirt and handed it to one of the young men. "Alright.. let's go... " The poor Ranger trainee was standing there staring at her in her tank top, fatigues and combat boots... the instructor noticed the cleavage, but also the well formed muscles on her upper arms. His eyes narrowed and he turned to give Beach a suspicious look. CoverGirl's yell made him look back at her. "What? Are we going? Or did it occur to you that the baby Rangers aren't grown up enough to compete with big girls?"

"Oh that's it.. you're on!" Snatching up his stopwatch, the instructor strode over to yell loudly. "Set.. GO!" He ran along the side of the course, yelling at his guys. "Go go! If you bastards let that girl beat you you'll be doing push-ups until the end of time! I'll run you all down the damned road on ten mile marches until your MOTHER'S FEET ARE SORE! MOVE!"

Beach smirked as he watched the lean tank jockey take off from the starting line at top speed. Normally he wouldn't approve of sprinting to begin with, but she needed the space away from the trainees, in case someone thought to trip or bump her. Her pride in being faster than him was well justified, as she easily outpaced all the male trainees. She hit the first upright wall without pausing, timing her leap so she gained the top with both hands to swing up and over before the first guy got to the base of the wall.

Beach smiled proudly at Aunt Beth. "You know, Shana taught Courtney how to scale walls like that. Shana learned it from Snakes, but the women just don't have the same upper body strength. Shana knows how to compensate for that."

"Shana is very talented. She has always maintained that women are just as capable as men." Aunt Beth winced as one of the young trainees went headfirst over the wall to land heavily in the soft dirt landing. "Oh my.. I hope he's okay."

"PRIVATE HARRINGTON! Get your ASS OVER THAT WALL!" The resident drill was frantically ordering his guys to speed up, as the woman who was half the size of most of his trainees was already sprinting for the first mudpit.

Beach cupped his hands around his mouth to yell. "Remember that pit's only knee deep!"

She sped up right before she reached it and made a long jump to land slightly further than halfway across. There was an impressive sploosh as mud splattered in all directions. CoverGirl did stay upright, although she acquired an impressive amount of dirt. Taking awkward looking long striding leaps, she quickly gained the far end just before the first trainees hit the mud behind her.

"GO KREIGER! Dang it! Get that butt down!" Beach strode along the sideline shouting as CoverGirl easily squirmed under the mass of barbed wire on her belly. Her smaller size made the wire crawl a breeze compared to the larger bulkier recruits. When she came out the far side and sprinted for the log walk, Beach turned to the resident drill and smiled tightly. "Ya better whip them boys harder!"

The drill instructor's jaw clenched and he glared at Beach. "Dammit.. your girl is a damned ringer! Harrington! If you hang up on that wire I swear I'll come out there!" He rolled his eyes and Beach snorted loudly. "Why's there always gotta be one in every group?"

Letting out a sharp laugh as he kept an eye on the woman moving up along the leaning log with sure steps. "Ya mean a screw-up or one-a those that has every bit of potential but seems determined to make ya tear out yer hair on a daily basis?" Beach raised his voice to yell. "Kreiger! Don't slow down on that rope walk!"

She panted and then yelled back. "Shut it, Beach!"

He grinned as the other instructor shook his head. Beach's pride in his female trooper came through clearly. "She's got spunk."

"Yeah I see that... " He twisted on his heel and civvy the front runner of his men harder. "COME ON! That girl is gonna beat all of you little posers! MOVE IT!"

Despite all his best efforts to get his troops moving fast enough to catch the slender figure outpacing all of them, she crossed the finish line a good two seconds ahead of the closest struggling recruit. While she walked slowly in a wide circle cooling off and glaring over at BeachHead, he smirked and held out a hand to the frustrated drill instructor.

"Dammit. I think I've been snookered..." He dug into a pocket to hand over cash, rolling his eyes to pay off Aunt Beth as well. "I can just see the three of you going around to all the Army posts to get betting pools on poor unsuspecting drill instructors." He shook his head and nodded towards the approaching woman. "If we took females for Ranger recruits..."

Beach narrowed his eyes. "Yeah.. well.. ya don't. And if'n ya did, ya can't have her." He turned to look down at Courtney as she approached. "Not too bad, but yer gonna need to work on yer speed across log walks. Took too long.."

She leveled a punch into his ribs, making him yelp. "Shut it." She plucked the cash out of his hand. "This is mine. I won it. Next time you involve me in your bragging, I'll kick you in the nuts."

He rubbed at his ribs and shrugged at the drill instructor. "Told ya.. spunk."

"Yeah.. again.. I see that." The drill began berating some of the men as they straggled up to stand in a line. The last man walking up sneered at Courtney counting out the wad of cash she'd appropriated from BeachHead.

"So tell me.. isn't that about the same amount you get a night on your street corner?" His smirk showed the meanness from the sting of being beaten publicly by a woman. Courtney's mouth fell open at the crass remark.

Before she could respond, there was a loud snarl and Beach's hand closed around the man's throat before he could duck away. "Didja jus' call mah gal a hooker?"

There was a faint "erk" from the rapidly fading recruit and the drill instructor was jumping onto Beach's back to try to pull him off. He did seem to notice, only after the other Ranger got an arm around his throat to try to choke him out. Beach tucked his chin to prevent that and twisted around sharply to try to throw him off.

"Beach! Drop him! Let go!" Courtney pried at his hand futilely. "WAYNE!" She finally got a hold of his fingers and pulled to unwrap his grip. The recruit staggered sideways, feeling at his neck and gasping. Courtney got in front of her Ranger to push him further away. "Wayne stop!"

"Get offa me.." Throwing the other instructor off his back, Beach snorted loudly. "Ya better damned well start teachin' yer recruits some damned respect! Ain't no way no Ranger trainee a' mine woulda been caught dead disrespectin' someone that way!"

"Yeah well.." The drill regained his feet quickly and watched Beach cautiously. "You can't just go beating him up with me standing right here! You should have let me deal with it!"

The recruit having regained his breath, stepped up angrily to point at Beach... from the safety of behind his drill instructor. "Yeah! You can't go trying to kill me! Just because I call them like I see them.." The Benning drill instructor punched him in the face and knocked him onto his butt. "Sergeant!"

The drill stepped over top of him to point at his face. "If you open that mouth ONE MORE TIME! I will personally kick you until SHE feels better about it! Shut your mouth. You just embarrassed the whole damned Ranger division by acting like a lowbrow street thug and if you think I'm going to back you up for acting like that, you are INSANE! Now get up off the ground!" The recruit leapt up and stood in place. "You will go directly to the barracks where you will clean the barracks.. and if there's a speck of grime anywhere.. even behind the goddamned sink piping... I will personally bust you out of the Army for good! When you're done with that.. I'll be there to start your punishment! Now MOVE MOVE MOVE!" Screaming after him a few more times, the drill scowled fiercely as he turned back. "Please accept my apologies on behalf on my errant trainee, Corporal."

She nodded, still blocking Beach who huffed at the words. "Thank you, Sergeant. Apology accepted." She elbowed Beach hard. "Say you're sorry for trying to kill his trainee."

Beach's lip twisted as he chewed that idea. "Sorry Ah didn't kill your trainee." He was elbowed again and relented. "Sorry I tried to usurp your authority. Shoulda let you take care of it." He paused then glanced rather sheepishly over at Aunt Beth. "Ahhh.. and I'm sorry I tried to murder yer trainee too."

The drill stepped forward with his hand extended. "It's alright.. he had no call to say something like that. It was good to meet you, fellow Ranger. I'm Staff Sergeant George Feitch, if there's anything I can do to make your week go smoother, let me know."

Beach shook his hand. "Sergeant major Sneeden, here. It's alright, I used to instruct here at Benning, I know my way around."

Feitch blinked. "Sneeden?" His face twisted. "Awww damn. I was snookered."

Beach shrugged. "Ain't snookered no one. These trainees oughta be performing a lot better at this stage. Ya'll going soft on them now a days. Push 'em harder, ain't like they can't take it, if'n they're Ranger material."

"Yeah yeah.." The drill extended a hand to Courtney as well. "Sorry Corporal Kreiger." He nodded towards Aunt Beth. "Ma'am." Turning back to his recruits, he waved them all back towards the starting line of the course. "Well, you heard Sergeant major Sneeden... you guys suck! Let's get out there and prove that you can make it! GO GO GO!"

Beach turned to shoo at the two ladies, Aunt Beth helping to herd Courtney along as well. The matron rested a hand on Courtney's back. "Don't let his words anger you so much. You did so amazing out there! Jumping over things and crawling in mud... I couldn't believe you did that so fast!"

Relaxing somewhat, Courtney preened. "Yeah well.. Beach here pushes us really hard to be our very best." She nudged at the big man. "You better not be volunteering me like that again though, because I WILL refuse and let you stand there and look foolish."

He did manage to look at least slightly chagrined. "Yeah well... anyway.. Aunt Beth, would you like to see anything else?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Courtney brushing the worst of the mud off her pants, then looked back at Beach. "I think perhaps Courtney would like to go clean herself up. Don't you think that would be best?"

Beach thought it over, looking at the muddy woman. "I guess... you wanna go clean up or are ya fine?"

Courtney sighed and turned to Aunt Beth. "I'm going to go take a shower and change clothing. But there's no reason for everyone to come along for that. You and Beach can go spend some time together while I do that." She raised up to kiss Beach's cheek for him. "I'll catch up with you later at the hotel, okay?"

He nodded. "That's fine. Stay outa trouble." He watched her striding down the sidewalk and let out a soft sigh.

Aunt Beth's voice was amused. "You really are completely smitten."

"I ain't neither!" He protested. "It's just... well..."

Her experienced voice comforted him. "There's nothing wrong with being in love, Wayne. Accept it and enjoy it. Not everyone gets to experience real love." They walked together aimlessly down the sidewalks slowly. The bustle of Rangers and regular Army solders alike surrounded them while leaving them untouched.

Beach tilted his head back for a moment and looked up at the sky, scattered with small bits of cloud. "Well.. it's hard to just.. surrender to it. It feels an awful lot like some sort of huge mistake and like I'm gonna be trapped or something."

She smiled. "It only feels different than how things have been. And I suppose that being in love is a bit like being trapped. But it's two people trapped together. And that makes all the difference."

He thought that over. "I guess so. Just... the last time I felt like this, it didn't go so well." He looked down at her. "What if it all goes wrong? How do I know that she won't decide she could do way better and leave? What.. what if she tries to use all this against me?"

"Well.. do you think she would do that?" Beth watched him shake his head. "Then you'll just have to trust your heart and trust her. Courtney doesn't seem like she would want to do anything hurtful to you." She looked at him with a frank expression. "Wayne, you can't do this halfway. You have to decide you will commit to the relationship. Sitting on the fence will only serve to frustrate and drive both of you apart." Resting a hand on his arm, she shook her head. "Look at what you could gain.. look at how much pleasure you take from spending time with Courtney. Don't you want that?"

"Well.. yeah." He thought for a moment. "I guess I'd rather it was a sure thing.. insteada havin' to hope it'll all work out. You'd think I'd be used to havin' to work in uncertain circumstances." His companion gave him a questioning look and he explained. "Well.. I don't never know from one day to the next whether I'll get sent out to do something, or be at the base trainin' guys. Sometimes I get new orders and ten minutes later I'm grabbin' up gear to take off, without time to even say nothin' to no one.. if'n I was even able to tell them what was goin' on. So not bein' able to say what was gonna come next shouldn't be nothin' new to me."

Beth hummed softly. "Perhaps. But perhaps being on call at all hours is your normal existence? But you always know what to do on your missions and such. You know which weapons to take with you, which clothing to wear, how to act during the trip. And you return to the same place, where the Army tells you what to do and where to go and how to do things. Perhaps it's not so much that you are used to things being unpredictable, but that you are very used to not having to make decisions about your own life?"

He glanced at her then away. "Well.. yeah. Army does tell me what I'm supposed to do. The Army never gave me no lessons on how to deal with a girlfriend though."

Aunt Beth laughed at him, patting his arm fondly. "Maybe you missed that day."

"Maybe so.. maybe so. Maybe I was too busy cleaning my rifle that day." Stopping suddenly, Beach took a deep breath. "How'd you ever get so smart? I mean.. all you ever do is hang out with ducks all day. Maybe them ducks are smarter than I thought they were."

"Oh Wayne.. " Aunt Beth laughed and shook her head. "You do say the strangest things at times." Checking her watch she exclaimed suddenly. "Oh my.. I do have to get going."

"What? Not staying for dinner?" Beach watched her turn and begin to head along a walkway.

She shook her head, making certain he was walking alongside her. "No dear.. I have to get back home. I didn't make arrangements to have anyone care for the animals. Besides.. you should be spending your time with Courtney. You should be visiting with your Ranger friends. That's why you came, yes?"

"I guess so." Tilting his head, Beach watched her. "I'm glad you came down. Sorry I failed on the whole jump part."

"I don't blame you for that. Besides, it was still a magnificent sight to see. I don't think I'll ever have that sort of opportunity after all!" She pointed across the parking area they had reached. "Over there.." Beach agreeably headed that direction. "Thank you so much for inviting me down. It was wonderful to get to see you again. I know you can't do much visiting and such because you're on duty most of the time, but I do miss getting to see you. You really must come out to visit again sometime. I'd hate to think the only time I'll get to see you is when you end up in the Benning hospital."

"Well..." Beach suddenly relented. "I'd like to come visit your place sometime. You know.. if I get a chance.. if it's okay." He tucked his hands into his pockets.

Aunt Beth raised her hands in mock exasperation. "Of course it's okay. Wayne, I've been trying to convince you to come back, why would you even imply I wouldn't want you to come visit? Foolish boy." His lips quirked up slightly in a sheepish expression. "You come and visit anytime you are able, Wayne. I mean that. I expect for you to show up on my doorstep one day. One day soon too, not in a few years. You just keep that in mind."

"Yes ma'am." Beach reached to open the door on her stationwagon. "Thanks for coming down. It was good to see you." He watched her eyebrow go up. "What? Oh.. dang it.." He spread his arms to let her hug him tightly, gingerly settling his own arms around her briefly. "Yeah yeah.. huggin'." She turned loose and he forbid himself to step backwards out of reach. "Thanks."

"You're getting there, Wayne. Slowly but surely, you'll get used to it. As long as you keep making an effort." She settled into the car and busied herself fastening the seatbelt and putting aside her purse. "I'll be sending you a package in a few weeks with some of the fresh mozzarella cheese. You be careful please? And no more fighting."

He grinned at her. "But the fighting competition is in a couple days.. I gotta fight."

She leveled a finger at him. "You know what I mean young man. Try to stay out of trouble and be careful. And try to rest up some, you did fall out of a plane again."

"Yes ma'am." He closed the door for her carefully. "Drive safely." He watched her drive away slowly through the people and traffic and sighed. He should go back to the hotel and see if Courtney was done cleaning up yet. Checking his own watch, he calculated times and decided that an early dinner might be welcome. They could at least get a spot at one of the local restaurants and get a decent meal in them.

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End chapter

So... time for Beach to step up or back off. Which will he choose? I hope you enjoyed the obstacle course and Aunt Beth. And yes, I wish I had a real Aunt Beth too!


	12. Ribs and Rangers

Chapter 12

Thanks for all the reviews and feedback! I need to know what you're thinking about the fic, storyline, characters.. so it's wonderful to see folks telling me what they think! Now.. on to more fic.

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BeachHead poked his head into the room cautiously, letting the door shut behind him quietly. "Courtney?" There was a muffled reply from the bathroom and he waited patiently. The door opened and she looked out at him. "I uhh.. wuhh.. " Fumbling verbally he tried to remember what he'd wanted to say.. what he'd worked out in his head on the walk back to the motel.

"Hey Beach. Aunt Beth out there too?" Her cheerful tone said that she was over him volunteering her to run a obstacle course on the vacation.

"No, she left to head home." He watched her come out, wrapped in a towel that left her thighs bare and clung to all the curves. He'd never envied a towel so much in his life. "Ung... I ahhh.. wanted.. "

"Wanted something?" She walked over to the drawers and bent to rummage in the clothing. "What did you want, Beach?"

He was pretty certain he'd swallowed his tongue, since there wasn't any way he'd be able to speak coherently. Instead he just indulged in watching the long legs and the damp skin... shoot, she was saying something to him. "Huh?"

"Stop oogling my thighs and listen. I wanted to go get some dinner but not that same place. I'd like a real honest homestyle meal." She straightened up to look at him. "It's not that I don't like your friends.. it doesn't matter who's with us, but I'd just like some good hearty honest food."

He kept his eyes on her face and nodded quickly. "That's what I was thinking too. A big dinner. After all, I'll work it all off." He glanced away then back over to see her smirking at him. "What?"

Sauntering over slowly, the lean blond smiled up at him, making him lick his lips nervously. "So how exactly were you going to 'work it off', big man?" He blinked slowly and tried not to look down past her throat. "Were you planning... something?"

"I ahhh..." He edged backwards, every bit of his confident decisions flying out of his head. "Just... well.. no.. I mean... tomorrow..."

She winked at him. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She turned to pick up the clothing and he began to breathe again. "You'll have a heck of a busy day tomorrow with all that shooting and such. Although, target shoots don't usually take tons of energy..."

He cleared his throat slightly. "Yeah.. well.. it's not static shootin' only. It's combat simulated shootin' so.. it's a lot more involved."

"Okay! I'm sure it'll be great to watch." She stepped into the bathroom to change and he let out a sigh of relief.

He turned a small circle, cursing under his breath. Aunt Beth was right, he needed to make up his mind and stop being indecisive. Pushing a hand through his unruly hair, he tried to think about the situation but it seemed his mind turned more to how good it felt to have the blasted woman next to him. All the reasons not to fall into such a trap tried to make themselves heard, underneath the one overwhelming voice that wanted this. But what if he did try to make it work and she turned away? Was the risk worth it?

"So do you know where we can go?" She came walking back out, twisting her hair up with a few movements and turning it into a neatly styled bun at the back of her neck. There were occasions when Beach was convinced it was sleight of hand, the way women could arrange their hair so easily. She tucked two elegantly lacquered chopsticks into the bun and then turned to look at him. "Beach? Dinner?"

"Yeah.. it's a bit of a drive.. maybe twenty minutes but we're likely to get a table." He grabbed his uniform jacket up and waited for her to gather up her purse. "Don't you need a coat?"

She tugged at the sleeves of her shirt and shrugged. "No, I'll be fine." She gave a soft smile to him as she headed for the door. "Besides, if I get chilly, I can just borrow yours."

He frowned at her. "Well hell, what if I need it? If you're gonna be cold, take a danged coat." The irritation at her mild joke surprised her and she paused and went back to get her bomber jacket. "Think you'd know better by now, Princess."

She glanced at him. "I didn't think you were so possessive over your jacket." Hanging her small bag on her arm, she stood and waited. "Are we leaving?"

He stood for a second. "I'm not possessive... you could borrow it if you needed it." The abrupt change made her blink. "I mean... it's better to remember your own..."

"Beach.. it's fine. I have my coat." She spread her arms to show off the well fitted slacks and buttoned shirt. "I'm ready to go.. so let's go eat dinner." He swallowed hard and held out an arm to her. She smiled and stepped into the circle of his arm to exit the room. It felt good to hold her next to him as they walked to the car. A warm content feeling made him relax slightly. When she tensed and came to an abrupt stop, he looked at her.

She stared at the car sitting innocently in the parking lot. Then she whirled to yell at him while pointing at it. "WHO THE HELL DID THAT!"

He winced at the volume and looked at the car. "Did what? Oh... well.. " He tried not to smile. "I could make some guesses... but I dunno.."

She stomped over to glare at the car. "Someone SARAN WRAPPED Ted! This is NOT FUNNY!" She turned to shout randomly at the hotel rooms. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY! You BASTARDS! I swear!"

"It's okay Courtney.. it's just saran wrap..." He let out a chuckle. "That's a new one actually... here.. we'll just take it off. It's not that bad.." A few minutes of slicing through the plastic wrapping, carefully avoiding the paint, and Beach rolled the plastic up and tossed it into a trash can nearby. "See? Good as new.."

"It's not respectful! Ted is a beautiful car and doesn't deserve to be treated as a prank." Courtney petted the hood. "It's just not right."

"Ya named the car, Ted?" Beach twitched when she turned a glare on him. "Sorry.. Ted is a fine name.. really." He opened the door for her to get in. "It's an appropriate name in fact..." Settling into the passenger seat he looked over at her. "After all.. he's been 'bus-ted'."

She stared at him solemnly. "Get out of my car, Beach."

Ignoring the order, he tilted his head. "Well, if'n I don't miss my guess, before the week is out, he'll be 'annihila-ted'."

"You're such a jerk." She cranked up the car while he smiled smugly. "Punning is the lowest form of humor."

He settled further down in the seat, surreptitiously gripping the front edge of the cushion tightly. "Well, I ain't never pretended to be no high falutin' comedian."

"That's true." She looked over him fondly. "I love you, you big crude Ranger." His almost shy glance over at her made her smile. "So tell me where we're going."

"To hell in a battered handbasket... otherwise known as four blocks up then take a right." He motioned as they got close. "Slow down to take the... nuuughhh..." They swung around the corner and he gritted his teeth and struggled to stay in place. "Easy Evel Knievel, we ain't gotta get there in five minutes insteada twenty..."

"How about seven minutes? That slow enough for you, grandma?" He grunted at her when she expertly steered around another corner. "Relax..."

"Ah am relaxed... go straight.. up where the red light is blinkin'? Turn left.. full stop, the MPs love that red light." They slowed to a sedate and proper stop and CoverGirl waved cheerfully at the MPs sitting in their jeep. "Parking lot on the right about four blocks down.. can't miss it.. if'n yer not going a hundred miles an hour..."

"Oh shut it, Ranger man. Here?" She carefully maneuvered through the half full parking lot to park. "Lock your door."

"Got it." Beach stepped over next to her and then held out an elbow for her to loop her arm through. Once inside Beach was hailed from a table full of Rangers. "Uh-oh.."

"What Beach? We can sit with them.." CoverGirl tugged him over and he held her chair, making her blush. "Thank you."

"Hey guys.." Settling into the chair beside her, Beach nodded around the table. "Courtney Kreiger, this's Tank McGreer, Sherlock Holmes, Lee Wong.. known as the littlest Ranger.." He dodged a sugar packet. "And KW over there. Thanks for sharin' the table. Nice to see some of the old faces."

Courtney looked a little suspicious. "Sherlock Holmes? Really? Did your parents hate you?"

The lean short-haired man grinned. "No.. just my fellow Rangers. My name is really Paul Holmes.. but you know how guys go." He shrugged towards KW. "Ask him why he's called 'KW'."

She turned agreeably. "Okay.. I'll bite."

There were a few hoots and Beach glared around the table. "That's enough of that..."

KW snorted at him. "Hey.. it's not our fault your girl is offering..." He held up his hands when Beach half stood. "Calm down Bullwinkle... we're just kidding. God, you're as damned touchy as ever." He turned to Courtney. "My NAME is Jared Kwiatkowski.. but for some reason these unlettered louts have issues with words over two syllables.. so I just answer to KW instead. I used to make my drills in Basic crazy. They wanted to yell at me over stuff.. but it was hard to sound menacing when you're trying to shout 'Cut that out Kwiatkowski!' and not stutter." The table broke up in laughter and he pointed at McGreer. "Now Tank here.. he took one look at my name on my shirt and just said 'damn boy, I didn't know they made name tags that long' and then he dubbed me KW and said if I didn't want to answer to that, he'd come up with a nickname that would make me LONG to be called by initials. I didn't push my luck."

Tank laughed. "Yeah.. you could have gotten tagged with 'BeachHead' or something like that." Again, general laughter and Beach snorted at them. "So.. lucky guy there, Sneeden. How'd you fool this lady into coming to eat with you?"

Beach looked at her for a moment. "I gave her a piece of taffy. Now she follows me everywhere." She helpfully smacked him in the ear making him wince. "Ow! Dang it woman!" She pointed at him warningly. "Okay okay! She's my girlfriend. She's also an Army corporal.. so don't go thinkin' she's some delicate lady. She'll out curse a danged sailor."

"Yeah.. love you too BeachHead." She smiled at the waitress who appeared. "Hi.. yeah, we just showed up. Sorry."

"It's no problem at all. Would you like to order? The rest of the table already ordered." The young waitress raised an eyebrow at the Rangers seated and chattering at each other.

Looking through the menu, Courtney pointed at Beach. "Ask him first."

Beach turned his face up to look at the waitress. "Huh? Ribs.. big plate of 'em. Baked potato.. uhh.. and whatever veggies ya got on hand."

She scribbled on her notepad. "We have corn, beans, sweet potato or mixed squash." She waited while he nodded. "Which would you like?"

Tank guffawed at the confused look she got from Beach. "Honey, he wants all of them. Just pile it all on the plate, he'll eat it all." He laughed again when Beach rolled his eyes. "Come on.. you didn't get that big and strong eating salads and fruit."

"Yeah well..." Beach nodded at Courtney. "Tell the woman what you want, Courtney."

"Chicken marsala.. house salad. Thank you." She leaned on the table for a moment listening to the rowdy conversation as the men taunted her Ranger who responded with his own insults. "So you guys were all at Benning here at the same time?"

"Yeah.. Tank there.. he was part of the Ranger cadre who trained your guy here." Lee indicated Holmes. "Sherlock there went through in the same class. Me and KW were in the holdbacks, went through Ranger school right after Beach and Sherlock. There's really some wild stories about your guy too.."

Beach threw his hands up. "Did all of ya'll get together and decide that if'n I showed up, everyone would try to tell tales on me? Ain't ya got someone else to talk about?"

The Rangers looked around at each other. "Well.." Tank grinned. "No, last Rendezvous we talked about all the interesting folks.. so now we're going to talk about you." Beach leaned his head on one hand. "So are you done protesting? Because we can wait if you want to bother protesting more. It won't do any good."

"Naw.. go ahead." He seemed resigned to it and exchanged a glance with Courtney, trying to impart a private message that he'd prefer a different subject be brought up.

She gazed at him for a moment before turning to Tank. "Soo.. what sort of tale do you have?" Beach groaned and put his head on the table. "Stop honey.. I'm sure it's a good story."

Tank laughed. "Yeah right. Last I heard, Beach here was still doing some instructing on physical training. So someone should know he had some issues training during Ranger school."

Beach's head came up. "Oh no.. that's unfair! I wasn't havin' no trouble with the trainin'! It was ya'll havin' trouble with me not havin' trouble!"

Holmes nodded. "He's right. He didn't have trouble with the standard training.. it wasn't until you cadre members decided you had to stop him that he... uhh... ran into trouble..." Laughter broke out and he high fived Lee. "Anyway..."

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End chapter

Yes, next chapter will be more BeachHead stories. Thank you for reading.


	13. Ragging on Rangers

Posting this late, but it's still Friday! No lynch mobs please.

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Tank cleared his throat. "Okay.. so.. we were practicing urban room clearing. Busting down a door, running in and securing a room. So we have a practice area here, outside. It's concrete walls, no ceiling, and a door frame we can replace several times a day if needed. Well.. one or two Army engineers replace the doors and frames, while we usually yell at the recruits about what they did wrong. So.. we get Sneeden up here and dang if that door barely seemed to slow him down. He blew right through it, took half the frame out. And well.." He paused to down half of his beer. "We took that personally, you know? Figured that it just wasn't a heavy enough door if a trainee could knock it down that easy. Mind you.. knocking in the door isn't really the point of the exercise. Properly spacing your guys out, covering all the corners of the room.. not shooting friendlies.. that's the point. But it was the principle of the thing. So we had the engineers put in a heavy duty security door. Then we sent Sneeden up against it again, without warning him we'd put in a stronger door of course."

Courtney gasped. "That's just mean!"

"That's Ranger training for you." KW snickered. "I was there, assisting the engineers. We were all watching to see him try to rush the second door."

Tank snorted. "I lost a twenty dollar bill because he blew right through door number two. Sure, it didn't rip apart the way door number one did.. but he knocked that sucker open. So we finished up and decided we'd fix the door up and do the exercise again that afternoon. We were gonna stop this young bulldozer, no matter what it took."

Now Courtney was leaning forward with anticipation. "What'd you do?" She ignored the loud snort of disgust from her companion at the choice of conversation. "Shush you, I'm listening to Tank."

"We boarded it up with a sheet of plywood on the inside.. hung a new door and sent him up against that." Tank sighed. "The bastard head-butted that door right open, although he tripped over the split plywood when he got through. And well.. that just set all of us off."

KW laughed. "Man.. he WAS slowed down that time though. It was just funny to watch him bull into things though. That just didn't get old! He'd lower his shoulders down, and sort of ram right into something head first. Funniest thing ever."

Sherlock groaned. "I think my shoulder is still sore from him bulling into me in training. He just didn't quit."

Tank snorted dismissively. "Yeah well, he was unstoppable compared to the other trainees."

Beach rolled his eyes. "Hey, I was coming right offa a year of combat in-country with a unit of Rangers and stuff, and they weren't easy on no one. I hadda learn every dirty trick just to survive. You've met Sarge and Benny."

Tank gave him a disgusted look. "Well, your buds could have warned us what they were dumping into our Ranger school. But then, that's typical for Sarge's sense of humor. So anyway. Now the cadre members had made this personal. There wasn't no way he was going to show us up again. So we got a steel plate and braced it up against the inside of the door with a couple 4 by 4s." He laughed softly. "Then we all stood and watched him go running up and head butt that damned door." He laughed, along with Sherlock and KW. "Knocked himself out cold right there.. even with a full helmet on. 'BAM'! And he just fell over. We dragged him to the side, waited for him to wake up, but after a while we figured he was in a bad way. Man.. were the medics MAD at us! We had to go and drag him up to the hospital and then we got lectured for a hour."

Beach looked at Courtney. "See why I don't regret not being stationed at Benning none? These guys all think they're comedians."

She had covered her mouth to muffle the laughter. "But... Beach... you really ARE a hard-headed bulldozer. It's not exactly.. unfunny."

"Right. I saw double for two days once I woke up." Beach waved a hand at Tank. "You know how traumatizin' it was havin' to look at TWO of him for that long?" There was a lot of hooting at Tank then. "Hey! The food's here!"

"Oh.. there he goes. Food always distracts him." Lee took his plate from the overloaded waitress. "Thank you ma'am!" He dug in with enough enthusiasm to belie his claim that Beach was the only one with a appetite. Conversation mostly died out for several minutes while everyone sampled their food. Lee pointed at Beach with a fork. "So I heard you came in with another Ranger.. ahh.. Wilkinson? Right?"

Beach nodded, concentrating on a small mountain of barbequed ribs. "Yeah.. good man. Here with his wife." He tilted his head briefly. "They ain't seen each fer a while.. so you know.. they stay 'busy' a lot." There were snickers from around the table while CoverGirl admired her Ranger's ability to sound like he knew all about a subject when she knew he hadn't a clue about it only a few days previous. "Good Ranger though. He's gonna be boxin' too." Talking didn't slow him from sucking the meat off each rib bone. His elbow blocked KW from reaching in and his glare forbid a second attempt.

"Oh? He a contender?" Tank watched Beach shrug. "Well I mean.. should we put money on him?" He blocked the intrepid KW as he made a grab for some of the fries on his plate. "Gonna lose a finger." The younger Ranger scowled but turned his attention to his own plate for the moment.

Beach repeated the shrug. "I'unno. He's a good boxer, but I ain't been keepin' up on who's fightin' and all. You know I never been one to follow sport fightin' much."

KW elbowed Tank. "My money is still going on Squiggy. I don't care WHO shows up." He finally managed to nick a chicken wing, only to have Beachhead snatch it the instant he set it onto his own plate. "Hey!"

Courtney looked up from her marsala. "Uhh.. Squiggy?" She raised her fork when KW eyed her pasta and he gave her an innocent look instead.

"Yeah!" KW brightened and turned to discussion rather than food theft. "He's a big beefy guy, like a classic over-muscled fighter who can't win a bout for anything? Only he's good.. and fast. I always put my money on him."

Lee snorted. "Yeah, and you'll be lucky to get even odds trying to bet on Squiggy here at Benning. Might as well keep it in your pocket." He nodded at Beach. "You fighting too?"

"Yeah.. regular combat fights. Ain't like I need to sully a boxin' ring." Beach watched Courtney neatly consuming her salad. "You really should eat more, girl. You don't need to lose no weight."

She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'm planning on having dessert later?" There was a chorus of "Ooooo" from around the table and Beach glared at everyone. Courtney smiled prettily at them. "Actually guys, I meant the cake..."

KW sighed. "Ahh well.. that's sexy too!" Beach grumbled under his breath. "Oh come on Sneeden. Stop being grumpy for a few days. You can put the stick back up your ass after Rendezvous is over."

"I ain't got no stick up my butt. Ya'll always bitched that I was too serious. If people would take their duty seriously and do their trainin' properly... " Beach was interrupted by everyone at the table.

"Then there'd be fewer injuries and body bags and the mission could be accomplished with a minimum of expenditure."

Courtney laughed along with the guys and shook her head. "So he's been using the same lines that long, huh?"

Tank nodded. "That's our Sneeden, when he finds something that works, he'll stick with it." He crunched through a few pieces of bell pepper and pasta. "He's a damned good instructor."

Courtney smiled possessively at him. "Only the best."

Lee hummed around a mouthful of lasagna that looked every bit as good as Roadblock's. "Well.. I dunno about the best.."

Courtney nodded firmly. "The best." Her no nonsense tone made Lee raise an eyebrow. "Best." Her eyes narrowed. "Anyone wants to disagree, he and me can go settle it outside." Immediately every Ranger at the table objected at top volume.

"Ahh Sneeden couldn't train a housecat!"

"Not even close to the best!"

"I could out-train recruits blind folded!"

"Bring it outside honey.. "

Beach interrupted, his voice dropping slightly lower in warning. "Ya'll back the hell offa my gal." They all fussed a bit over it half-heartedly. "Yeah yeah.. shut it. Think I'm protective over my dinner? Try goin' after Courtney... go ahead. I ain't seen the inside of the Bennin' stockade in a while." Courtney watched nervously as his jaw clenched and the heavy biceps tightened.

Tank reached out and swatted Beach in the back of the head sharply, making him jump up in outrage. "Sit your ass down Sneeden. You've always been this way.. never could take a joke. No one is going to go snatching your girlfriend away."

Courtney smiled smugly and tugged at Beach's arm, making him reseat himself. "Like anyone could snatch me away from him. Look at that face!" She reached to pat his cheek, making him frown. "How could I resist him?"

KW snorted. "How could you resist not running away screaming?" Courtney pitched a sugar packet at him which he skillfully ducked into so it hit his nose. "Ow.. man.. Beach you had to find a vicious girl, didn't you?" He rubbed his nose. "I think I got a paper cut."

Tank grinned. "I like her. Let's keep her around." There was general agreement and he waved grandiosely at her. "There. See? Now it's established. You'll just hang out at Benning and look great and be charming for us Ranger guys." She was laughing so he sighed theatrically. "Fine fine.. you go ahead and hang out with Sneeden. It must be the muscles.. can't be his personality.. or lack thereof..."

Beach glared at him but relented when Courtney hugged his neck. "Yeah, ya'll ain't got no chance at all."

She beamed rather happily. "No chance."

Tank rolled his eyes at their display, however mild it might be. "Oh please. Anyway.. cut that out, you two." He reached to swat at them to separate them. "ANYWAY... Tell us about yourself Courtney. We have to approve anyone that Sneeden is going to date. That's how it works."

Overriding Beach's obvious protest about that declaration, she leaned on the edge of the table. "Well, it's not really interesting. I used to be a model, and then I got tired of all that nonsense and I joined the Army and scandalized my mother. Then I met BeachHead here and he yelled at me a whole lot. Now I like him."

"Well... that's different. You were a real model? Like.. for underwear?" KW's eyes brightened.

Beach shut him down. "No, not for underwear. You just never mind."

Holmes suddenly sat bolt upright. "Wait! Courtney Kreiger? You! You.. you were a model and then you joined the Army!" He stared at her.

She shifted uneasily, plucking at her sleeves a little. "Yes, that's what I said.. model then Army."

He waved his hands around rather randomly while Beach got nervous. "Yeah yeah! I read about you years ago.. this gorgeous model.. top of her career.. and she up and joins the Army. We all figured it was some PR stunt, then the press just quit reporting about it. That was you?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's really nothing." Her hands fiddled with her napkin and she forced herself to not look over to BeachHead.

"Nothing? How could you say that? You were soo beautiful! You had everything! Why would you dump all that? Especially to be a.. a grunt?" KW seemed flabbergasted.

Courtney cleared her throat slightly. "Well, I told you, I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. And standing around in pretty clothing getting my hair done really doesn't benefit anyone. I felt like I should do something.. " She thought for a few seconds. "I wanted to matter. I wanted to serve in some way that would.. would.. make a difference!" She sighed. "I know.. it seems so idealistic and stupid. But at least I can say that I've done something with my life now."

The Rangers all took a moment to look at each other. Tank nodded at her. "It's a pity that Rangers don't take women. But Army regulars or Army Rangers, it's the same, you serve."

KW nodded. "Well yes, but there's a much more important question here." He waited until they all were staring at him waiting. "Courtney..." He leaned towards her intensely. "Do you still know any models that might need a date?" He was bombarded with various items from sugar packets to the last green beans from Beach's plate. "Hey HEY! Come on.. I'm only asking what we're all thinking!"

Lee snorted. "Maybe you were thinking that. Sorry Courtney. He's never managed to mature past the seventeen year old area.. does all his thinking with the wrong head, you know?"

Courtney smiled. "Yeah, I work with a few guys like that."

"Oh I'll bet. There's always a few in every group of Army grunts. Just the way guys are." Tank picked up the dessert menu and started glancing through it. "So what do you do for the Army? PR? Administration? Ranger wrangling?"

She laughed at the last suggestion. "No. I'm a mechanic for ground transport and heavy combat vehicles." She very obviously enjoyed the reactions. Beach smirked a little bit, she'd noticed that he seemed excessively smug with his fellow Rangers all fussing over "his" girlfriend.

Lee and KW both were shaking their heads in denial, while Holmes spoke up. "No way. Sorry, but that isn't even believable! Come on. What do you really do?"

She opened her mouth to reiterate her job but Tank cut her off. "She's a mechanic. She already worked on a tank broke down over near the South gate. I'd say that her MOS is most likely mechanics."

Heads swiveled to gaze at her while she stammered slightly. "I didn't really fix it.. I just... they were bleeding the hydraulics! It's an Abrams for god's sake!"

KW's mouth shut with a snap then he grabbed at his mouth. "OW! Bit my tongue.. she really IS a mech-head! That's... that's just... well... it's just.."

Lee heaved a sigh and rested his chin in his propped hand. "It's just soo sexy." Tank administered his patented slap to the head as a chastisement.

The general conversation turned to the upcoming competitions and Courtney could finally relax. She did find the idea of the combat simulated target shooting very exciting. Beach discussed the various rifles that the other Rangers preferred, arguing mildly about the merits of each. When she yawned, it was Tank that pointed at her.

"Someone is up past their bedtime." She protested but Tank was grinning. "I think someone needs to take that someone off to.. bed." The grinning spread around the table, bypassing Beach who managed to look smug and embarrassed at the same time.

"Yeah, Barbiedoll likes her sleep." He rolled his shoulders. "Neither of us are used to the early hours over here on the east coast."

She elbowed him. "Yeah right. You live to get up at ungodly hours of the morning."

"Maybe so." Beach paid for dinner for them and then yawned himself. "Dang it woman.. now you got me started." He endured another sloppy hug around his neck and then held out a hand to Tank. "It's good to see ya'll, no matter how much ya yank on my chain."

"Keep in touch better Sneeden. We wouldn't mind if you managed to transfer back either. Could always use another good cadre member to whip recruits into shape." Tank nodded politely at Courtney. "Corporal. You keep this guy in line for us."

"Oh yeah.. that's an easy task. I'd rather strip both treads off a Abrams tank in a snowbank with a set of pliers and my teeth, it'd be easier." She shook hands with the group. Even the younger KW and Sherlock were unfailingly polite in their leave-taking. They were ordering up a round of beers when she and Beach left.

* * *

End Chapter

Next chapter... things get hot.. really hot.


	14. Steaming up things

And it's time for a new chapter.. as promised things do start getting hot.. be aware this chapter is more adult in content. It's still rated low enough to be "edited for TV" though. Please enjoy!

* * *

Once they got outside of the restaurant, they wound through an increasing crowd. Instead of encouraging her to walk next to him, Beach stayed a few feet away. With his manner becoming distant, she sighed and walked to the side, trying to tell herself that he was merely lost in thought. He did open up the driver's door for her, giving her a distracted nod as she pulled the door shut. Once he settled into the passenger seat, she cleared her throat.

"Did you want to go straight back to the motel?" She watched him thinking.

Finally he glanced at her. "I guess. Did you want a walk first? Stretch those legs before bed?"

She bit back a retort regarding stretching legs in bed and nodded. "That'd be nice. Unwind a little?"

"Yeah." That was the extent of his reply and she waited until they were near the motel before she asked where he wanted to go walking. "Ahh.. just park at the motel.. there's some open fields and woods right up the road." He suddenly looked at her intently. "It won't be deserted or nothin', but it's dark and fairly quiet. Lots of paths to walk down and uhh.. trees to look at."

She tried to bypass that comment and failed as she pulled in to park in front of their room. "But how will we look at trees if it's dark?" He rolled his eyes and she put on a completely deadpan expression to look over at him with concern. "Should I go find us a flashlight.. so we can see the trees?"

"Maybe you need to find a bullhorn so everyone can hear you smartin' off at me." He seemed almost relieved to respond to her snarky remarks. She locked up Ted and pocketed the keys. The night air seemed a little damp and slightly chill. Beach waited for her to come up beside him and offered an arm to guide her. "Gal, you ain't gonna freeze out here, are ya?"

"I'm fine." Courtney smiled up at him. "I have a nice big Ranger to keep me all warm." He ducked his head under a low hanging branch. "I hear a few voices.. seems we aren't the only ones having a walk before hitting the bed." She suddenly straightened. "Is that Lydia?"

Beach listened intently for a moment. "Yeah.. and Stalker, so she's fine.. let's go this way instead." She turned aside without protest. "Dinner was.. uhh.. nice." He shifted uneasily, almost drawing his arm out of hers then abruptly tucking it tighter instead. "I'm glad you came along. Really. Thanks."

She hugged his arm a little. "I'm glad I came along too. Thanks for inviting me." She smiled wickedly. "I do like meeting all your old buddies and hearing all your embarrassing stories. We don't ever get good Beach stories to tell now at the Pit."

"Oh please." He scoffed at her. "Ya'll are ALWAYS raggin' me about somethin' or other. Between them pesky greenies and half the danged Joes tryin' to pull some sorta prank on me, there's plenty of stories to tell." He didn't find himself getting all that upset over it. Rather it felt rather homey to think about the escapades he'd been part of, however unwillingly.

"Well.. finding you coated all over in honey WAS amusing. I'll bet Sarge would get a kick out of hearing about that." She felt him tense up and tugged at him. "Oh don't worry, I won't tell them ALL the stories.. I'll even let you pick one that I won't mention at all. How's that for fair?"

He grunted. "How about ya let me pick the _only_ one you tell?" She laughed softly. "No? Okay then.. one that you don't get to mention... the drunken night on the town."

She groaned. "I should have made that one exempt.. it's SO funny. Okay fine though."

"Thanks." He was quiet. "It's a little odd seeing folks from so far back in my past. Benny and Sarge weren't even here last time I came to Rendezvous.. they were off base for some trainin' thing. So it's been years. Shoot, last time I was here, I didn't even stay the whole week... didn't really socialize much at all. And that was a few years ago too.. " He sighed. "Sometimes it's good to see old.. friends, I guess." He went quiet again as they walked.

"Beach?" CoverGirl's voice was soft and querying. It almost seemed to come from nothing as dark as it was out on the dirt walkways.

"Hmm?" Beach looked in her direction. She wasn't often this mild or hesitant sounding when she talked to him.

"Beach, do you regret going to Joe? I mean.. you volunteered for it when Hawk asked you. You were serving here as a respected cadre member. You've already done combat, so it wasn't like you haven't put your time in. You seem so happy here.. all the other Rangers you know are here." She eased just a few more inches away as they walked quietly.

"Regret? Naw. Don't guess so. I was just trainin' recruits here.. Ranger trainees and such. Keepin' Rangers in fightin' trim. Doin' entirely too much paperwork and dodgin' of regulation officers who liked to throw their weight around." He hushed but she waited him out. "Hawk gave me a good spiel about how my services were needed.. for combat and trainin' both. He spun it up like Joe team might not succeed without me along. Wasn't true, and I knew it was bullshit even as he was sayin' it." He suddenly gave her a flash of teeth in a harsh grin. "Didn't matter much, I told him it was crap and why did he really want me. He told me he needed some experienced combat men to take charge without being in command, and he needed someone who didn't care how unpopular they were as long as the guys got properly trained. Since he was honest, I joined up."

She hummed softly. "But do you regret it? Regret joining Joe or regret leaving Benning behind?"

Caught out in his evasion, he thought about it for a moment. "Naw.. I like Benning. Good group of soldiers. Best you'll find. But on the Joe team, I can do more. I can do what I'm good at. Kill folks and destroy stuff and teach other folks to do the same thing."

"You do a lot to teach us all to survive too, don't forget that part." CoverGirl stepped a little closer, supposedly to avoid some tree roots in the path. Rather obviously, she stayed next to his side rather than moving back to have the space between them.

"Well yeah, if'n ya'll don't stay alive, you won't be much use in killing or destroying stuff, now will you?" He grinned with a bit more humor this time. "I gotta keep the guys alive to fight, and make them the best fighters so less of 'em will die, so we can win faster with fewer casualties. That's all that matters.. get the job done and get all my guys back home."

"You're very good at it, Wayne." She watched his jaw clench as he chewed over the thoughts inside his head. "I'm sorry I brought it up.. didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine." A deep breath in and out and he outwardly relaxed, only a few subtle hints showed that he was still tense. "What about you? You could have had some cushy position in the Army PR department, or even recruiting. Could have ended up an assistant to some high ranking general without raising a finger." He was trying to hide the mirth in his voice and failing miserably.

She made a face. "Yeah.. or I could drive a Wolverine, tanks, tear engines apart and abuse Clutch all day. Which do you think I'd rather do, Ranger man?" He pretended to think it over and she punched his arm lightly in reproof. "You're such an ass sometimes Beach."

"I try. Gotta keep up my image." She hugged him anyway, and he didn't fuss about it, simply putting his arm around her to squeeze briefly. "Courtney... I love you." He peered through the dim light. "I wouldn't give up nothin' in my life.. no matter how painful. Cause it brought me to you." She smiled back at him and he watched her tear up. "Oh wait.. no cryin'... whatever I said, I'm sorry. Just don't cry."

"No Beach.. that's probably the most sweet romantic thing you've ever said to me." She wiped at her eyes and wrapped her arms around him to squeeze briefly. Turning loose, she sniffed lightly, trying to push back the silly tears before she upset him.

He brightened up. "So I did good?"

She laughed and looped her arm through his. "Yes, you 'did good'. Now.. what did you have planned next?" He made a questioning noise and she tilted her head. "You've been planning things mostly.. so.. walking... what's next?"

He stopped and turned to her. "Well.. maybe we could try some of this.." The hesitancy in his voice didn't match the urgency in his kiss as he bent down to press his lips to hers. She responded eagerly, opening her mouth to taste his tongue. They spent several long moments under a huge sweetgum tree, Beach slipping his arms around her waist and drawing her in snugly against him, she sliding along his frame and running her fingers up through the half curly hair. She felt the rough bark against her back as he pressed in more, his breathing roughening.

She pulled away and took a deep shaky breath. "Wow.. I umm.. I like how you walk, Ranger man.."

He smiled and reached up to stroke her hair lightly. "Ain't done much walkin' lately.. Ah might be a little outa practice." Her fingers tugged his face back to hers, sucking at his bottom lip and making him moan softly with desire. As her lips nibbled along his jaw to his throat, he pressed in harder, a hand sliding down her side and traveling over the angle of her hip.

She drew in breath to let it out slowly along the tender skin under his ear. "I'm all for you practicing a whole lot if that's what you want." His hand moved down her thigh and she almost whined at the sensual feel of his touch. As his body molded to her figure, she shifted aside slightly, then pushed at his chest. "Wait.."

He stepped back suddenly, hands leaving her as if she'd become white-hot. "What? What'd Ah do?"

She shook her head. "Nothing.. just, something hard was jabbing me in the leg.."

She actually could see his face darken in the dim lighting. "Ahhh... sorry.. jus' well.."

Courtney laughed softly. "No no.. my keys.. the car keys. Sorry.. that isn't a problem at all.. just the keys.. sorry." She embraced him again and kissed his mouth twice. "Trust me.. 'that' isn't a problem."

"Oh well.." He shifted uneasily, his large hands settling on her waist again. "Uhh.. "

Courtney tugged lightly to draw him down to kiss her again. The space between them didn't close and she felt like he was almost resisting. Trying to stay relaxed, she released him and moved slightly away, only a few inches, but enough to cause him to follow her with his body. "Wayne.. it's okay. It really is."

"Ah know.. it's jus'... " Suddenly he gathered her in his arms in a rush, pulling her in tightly and devouring her mouth. "Ah want you.." Lips touched and their tongues tangled together with a hot wet passion that left her breathless. "Ah love you.. "

A little stunned by his sudden turn, she smiled at him. "I love you too. I have for a while now.." She kissed him for a few minutes before they broke for a moment to gasp for air. "Do you want to go back to the room?"

He nodded, but spent several more minutes kissing her before he let go for her to begin to walk back towards the motel. The heat between them was almost unbearable but she welcomed the chance to calm herself before they reached the room.

* * *

End Chapter

Next week will be hotter... and will be rated more mature than this. Still not a X-rating though. I hope you're enjoying and please feel free to leave a comment or review.


	15. Final step

New chapter! Continued from last chapter, this one probably edges into the "M" rating, just for warning. The "full version" is available elsewhere. Please enjoy.

* * *

Once they were inside, Courtney flipped the locks on the door.

CoverGirl looked up at the nervous Ranger. "Beach.. why are you so wound up?" She stepped closer and put a hand on his chest. "You're shaking."

"I..." He leaned back as she got even closer. "I dunno.. I just.." He suddenly stepped backwards two or three steps, taking him to far side of the small motel room. "What if.."

"What if what? What if you get in trouble over it? Geez Beach.. we're a thousand miles from the Pit, and no one here cares if we sleep together. Most of them assume we're doing the horizontal mamba every night.. maybe several times a day too from some of the comments I've heard. So what's the problem? I want it.. you want it.. we're both adults.. what's the problem? Don't go with 'frat rules' either. We have plenty of folks breaking frat rules already.. you know how that goes. Don't rub it in anyone's face, and they look the other way. Duke has practically thrown us together. So.. what's the problem?" She stood with her hands on her narrow hips staring him down.

To her surprise he almost fidgeted. "CoverGirl.. " He stopped. "Courtney.. I just.. I don't want.. " He sighed and tilted his head back slightly, closing his eyes for a second. When he opened them again to look at her, his intense gaze startled her. "I don't want you to hurt me."

"Hurt you? You? Seriously? Beach.. I don't know what you think I can do in bed.. I'm not a olympic gymnast and you're almost twice my size.. I'm pretty sure I can't injure you too badly." She ignored the idea that with her training she could indeed put a real hurting on any male.. especially one that planned to get naked around her.

"Not like THAT Barbiedoll!" He puffed his breath out. "I ain't talking injury.. I'm talkin' hurt. Two entirely different things. I don't want.. I don't want ya to wake up tomorrow morning and hate me.." He ducked his head away but not before she had the chance to see the hurt in his face.

She crossed the space between them and cupped a hand around his cheek, feeling him sigh lightly and tilt his face into her touch. It was almost pitiful how much he would enjoy the simplest touch from her. "Beach.. I won't hurt you." He opened his eyes and gazed down at her face. "I wouldn't ever hate you, Wayne. I couldn't." She smiled gently. "I love you, and if you aren't ready.. then we don't have to do anything more." Reaching up, she kissed his cheek softly, lingering a moment until he turned his face towards her to hesitantly return the kiss.

"I'm just scared. What if ya don't like it?" His face turned as she nuzzled under his jawline, a soft sigh escaping his lips as she kissed along his throat.

Her voice was just a whisper as she spoke just under his ear. "I'm sure I'll like it.." Slipping her hands up around his neck, she tugged lightly to draw him down enough to be able to kiss him properly. She ran her fingers up through his short hair, feeling him shiver with pleasure as she let her nails rake across his scalp.

"Aaahhhh.. yeah.." His eyes went all unfocused and drooped half shut. He fastened lips to hers and she responded with some heat, teasing at his mouth with the tip of her tongue while she stroked his head. Slipping a hand down, she wound it around his side to his back, still keeping that careful distance between them, letting him chose when to deepen the contact. He seemed a bit uncertain as to what to do with his hands suddenly, finally placing one carefully on her waist and slipping the other behind her head to cup her gently in place so he could delve into her willing mouth with his tongue.

She let out a soft moan of desire and he broke contact and looked at her with concern. She smiled reassuringly. "You're really good at kissing.." His fingers tangled into her hair and she closed her eyes and tilted her head to enjoy the touch as he stroked through her shining blond hair.

"Yer so gorgeous.." He was staring at her, his gaze flickering between her eyes and across her face and hair to return to her eyes with such a look of wonder that she smiled. "Are ya sure yer meant to be with the likes of me? I ain't exactly a pretty boy."

"I'm sure, I'm right where I want to be.." She tilted her mouth up and this time he met her lips without hesitation. The deep heat began to build inside her as he pulled her closer with one arm, the other busy stroking down her side then back up again, brushing lightly along her ribs and up behind her along her back. She could feel the warmth from his body right through both of their clothing. She tucked her face into his throat again, kissing and lipping along the tendons and catching the light scent from his earlier shower. "I never liked pretty boys anyway." She backed off to give him a saucy look. "I prefer gorgeous men." He blushed and ducked his head. "You're so cute when you act shy."

"I ain't shy." He bent to kiss along her neck, as if to prove he could be bold. Tracing the line of her neck with his tongue, he stopped at the hollow of her throat, kissing there gently. His hands wandered up to wrap up to her shoulders and he pulled her to his body and pressed against her, letting out the softest of moans.

Courtney sighed with pleasure as she slid along his heavy frame, fitting herself to him and tilting her head to the side to encourage him to continue his attentions to her neck. Stroking the all-too-short hair on the back of his head she shivered when he sucked lightly at the tender skin under her ear. "Don't... don't leave hickeys on me.."

"Ah won't mark ya up.." His shoulders bunched up under her trailing hands as she stroked his back. "Oh... jus' like.. that.." She felt him shifting under her touch. "Gawd, Ah love when ya touch me.."

She smiled as she pulled his face in tighter to her neck. "Your accent gets so deep.." He grunted at her. "It's so cute.."

"Grumph.. Ah ain't cute.." His muffled voice seemed distracted from correcting her however as he brushed the hair out of his way. She slipped her hands down to tug his teeshirt out of the waistline of his pants. The instant her fingers found bare skin, he jerked away from her.

"Beach? What's wrong? Did I go too fast?" She reached to stroke his jaw lightly as he blinked.

"Yer hands are cold.. jus' surprised me." He smiled slightly and let her finish untucking the shirt. "Do you want it off?" She nodded at him and watched with appreciation as he dragged it off over his head. "How about yours?" Giving him a warm smile, she twisted to peel off her shirt slowly, listening to his breathing deepen.

She stepped back to him and tilted her face prettily. "Do you like?" He nodded at her. After a moment, she gave a soft laugh. "Well, you can start kissing me again..." He looked startled and reached for her awkwardly.

Slipping his large hands around her waist he bent to put his face into her hair, inhaling the soft scent of lilacs from her shampoo. His hands moved across bare skin and she sighed with contentment and slipped closer to him to run her fingers over his chest, ruffling the curly chest hair and tracing some of the deeper scars.

"Sorry.." His voice sounded embarrassed and she reached to tilt his chin around to look at his face.

"What are you sorry about?" She kissed his lips softly. "You haven't done anything wrong."

He paused to respond to her kissing him then pulled slightly away to answer her. "Jus'.. I'm all covered with ugly scars.. don't think you'd want to be lookin' at them.."

Her fingers walked along the surgical scar running up his lower belly. His copious body hair helped to hide it some, but it's stark white still stood out. "I don't mind your scars Beach. You earned those scars doing things other people couldn't do. Some of them you got from protecting the helpless. How could I mind your scars?" She turned her face to kiss a particularly deep gouge in the hollow of his shoulder. "You're no unmarked boy.. you're a war hound. Battle has put it's mark on you.. same as me." She reached to guide his hand up to her side right next to her breast. "That's my first scar from the enemy.." He stroked the oh-so-soft skin gently with his callused fingers, brushing along the edge of her black silky bra cup. "Do you think my scar is ugly?"

"Noo.." His voice breathed the word out softly. "You're beautiful.. all of you.." Her hand stroked up the back of his neck again, before she used it to gently pull his head downwards to her neck again. "You feel so good.."

"Good.. now feel a little more of me.."

* * *

"Gawd have mercy on me.." He took a few more breaths before he could stop panting. "Yer gonna kill me if it's like that every time.."

She smiled as her breathing slowed finally. "Oh but what a way to die.. that was worth all the waiting.. god but it was, Wayne."

He gave her that endearing smile that no one ever got to see. "Yeah?"

"Hell yeah. For a guy who hasn't had hardly any sex, you are horribly good at it. I hate to think what you'll be like with a some experience under your belt.. so to speak.." She smiled as he settled onto his side to watch her.

"I dunno.. guess we'll have to find out with a lotta tryin', huh?" He mock-leered at her.

"Oh I see! Give it up once and now you'll have an appetite for it all the time, that how it works?" She twisted herself to face him, the light sweat on both of them beginning to dry.

"I dunno.. I'm the inexperienced one.. remember?" Beach hitched himself up further on the bed and then abruptly rolled off onto his feet to drag the covers free. He held them up for CoverGirl to climb under herself before he slid in with her. "You don't mind me sleepin' here, do ya?"

She cuddled up to his chest and sighed contentedly. "No.. I want you sleeping right here." He relaxed and shifted to his back and tugged her up onto his chest, wrapping one arm halfway around her. Letting her shift about until she was comfy, he drew the covers up over them both and sighed heavily. "Are you sleepy Beach?"

"No." He lied. "Why?"

"I'm sleepy."

"Okay.. then go to sleep." He was silent for a moment and when he spoke again it was in a bare whisper. "You won't hate me.. right?"

"No Wayne.. never." "M'kay..."

* * *

End Chapter And.. they finally did it. How will it go from now? Will it be all rainbows and ponies or will this destroy their budding relationship? Tune in next week, same Joe day, same Joe channel!


	16. Morning after

New chapter.. full of angst.

* * *

Morning

CoverGirl sighed as she pulled the heavy Rangers teeshirt over her head. If she was going to get a table at the corner diner before the mob descended, she needed to go now. Beach wouldn't be back from his run for another twenty minutes. Grabbing up the notepad on the bedside table, she started to scribble a note.

*By the time you get this, I'll be gone..* The pen gave out of ink before she could continue and she shook it, trying to get it to work.

"Darn it!" If she didn't leave the Ranger a note, he wouldn't know to come join them at the diner and might go to the messhall instead. Then they'd be all day trying to find each other in the chaos. "Come on! Stupid pen!" She tossed useless pen and pad aside onto the bedstand and grabbed her jacket to go a few rooms down to ask Lydia if she had a working pen.

She knocked patiently at the door. Stalker had been on the run with Beach when the long line of eye candy had passed by the motel earlier. She'd refrained from shouting at them this morning, but the sight was easily reason enough to get up so early. After a second, the door cracked open and the ebony face broke into a smile. "Hey Courtney.. I'll be just another minute."

"I just need a pen, I want to leave Beach a note telling him we've gone to the diner. Otherwise we'll be standing in line for a table forever." CoverGirl waited impatiently while Lydia searched her purse.

"Sorry hon.. no pens.. I don't know what happened to mine." Lydia shrugged. "The desk clerk would have one."

"Good idea.. I'll run down to grab one and then meet you at the diner.. whoever gets there first can save a table for us all!" Beaming, Courtney rushed down the sidewalk to the harried clerk behind the sign-in desk. A few minutes of blinking her eyes gained her the USE of a pen, although he watched her like a hawk while she wrote out the brief note.

*Hey Beach! By the time you see this, I'll be gone to the diner with Lydia, come meet us there for breakfast, we'll hold you guys a spot! Much love and you looked yummy running this morning! C.*

Handing the all-important pen back, she sprinted down to the room. Folding up the note, she stuck it on the bathroom mirror where he couldn't miss it. Suddenly she grabbed up the note and pressed her lips to the outside folds to leave a kissy mark of her lipstick. "Oh yeah.. totally mushy, he'll hate it." She stuck it back onto the mirror and rushed out again.

* * *

BeachHead tried to stretch his shoulders as he moved through the crowd to the room. Stalker had left before him without telling him. So while he stood and waited, his teammate had left already. Figures. No one waited around for him most of his life. At least Courtney had still been in the bed this morning when he'd left.

He grinned to himself. He couldn't quite wrap his brain around the idea that they'd finally made that last step. Sure, to some people sex was a casual thing that they'd do with any old stranger that stopped long enough to tumble into a bed. Beach wasn't that way. Especially wasn't that way with Courtney. He'd spent so long wishing, not daring to even try a move, holding all those possibilities at bay.. now.. he sighed as he opened the door. Maybe she'd be … he gazed around the neat room. "Courtney?"

The bed was neatly made, not maid-style.. but like a person who couldn't leave a room untidy. Walking to the bathroom, he pushed the door open enough to see it was empty and turned back to peer at the beds to see the small notepad on the table.

Curious, he plucked up the short scrawled note and looked it over.. *By the time you get this, I'll be gone..* He sat on the edge of the bed.. read the few words again as if he could change the words.. his chest began to tighten and pain bloomed suddenly and he read it again just to drive the dagger in deeper.

"Courtney..." His voice had dropped to a broken whisper. Gone? She'd just be gone? He wasn't even given a reason?

Standing up he looked around frantically. What could he do.. he sat down again and clutched the note. Was she headed back to the Pit? To go accuse him of forcing himself on her.. like the first one had? Courtney wouldn't do that.. she really wouldn't.

_That's what you thought about the first woman.. the one that ripped you apart and destroyed your life.. foolish man.. trusted another one didn't you?_

"No.. Courtney wouldn't.." He closed his eyes and tried to breathe. "She.."

_She what? She wouldn't leave? Where is she? Why would she have been interested in you? She wanted to get rid of you.. get you out of Joe so she didn't have you riding her so hard.. leering at her.._

"SHE WOULDN'T!" He buried his face in his hands, feeling the horrible bit of paper pressing against his temple. He couldn't deal with this betrayal again.. not again.. the first time nearly killed him, beyond all the punishing he'd gone through.. the pain of having his heart pulled out and stepped on.. that was worse than the year of beatings.. the glares and whispered accusations, the sanctions against him for something he'd never done.. if it was Hawk against him, there wouldn't be a transfer.. he'd be dishonorably discharged.. out completely.. if they didn't go ahead with a full trial and throw him into the stockade for ten years first. He knew what would happen in there..

_Oh you know she's probably long gone.. already headed to the airport.. maybe she didn't bother.. maybe she's just on the phone to hawk now.. maybe she is alerting Benning's MPs to come secure you first..._

He rocked back and forth, his mind whispering to him in a insidious voice he couldn't banish. "She wouldn't.. wouldn't go..." But she was gone. He paused.. the stupid car was still parked out front... she couldn't have gone all that far without the car. Beach stood and grabbed for a change of clothing, dragging on fatigues and stomping into his boots. He'd find her.. he'd find her and she'd give him a full explanation... his eyes darkened in anger. He yanked the door open and nearly walked into someone passing by. A loud snarl made them jump out of his path and he bulled past the jostling crowd, ignoring the startled looks and nervous comments.

He'd find her.. and there would be hell to pay...

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End chapter

Sorry that it's a bit of a short chapter, you know how I love to leave you hanging!


	17. Serious Squabbles

Posting early because of the holiday and because it was a bit of a cliff hanger! This is a chapter full of loud angry Ranger. Quite a bit longer too, so enjoy and please review!

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Courtney laughed at one of the young Rangers trying to do a handstand to win some sort of bet with his friends over a seat at the table. He managed to get upside-down and walked four or five 'steps' and tumbled onto his head. Far from being embarrassed, he jumped to his feet, hands out, nodding and grinning as his friends jeered and argued whether he had to wait outside or take the single empty chair. When they let him sit down, a smattering of applause broke out. Lydia and Courtney clapped loudly for him and they turned back to the small table the tank jockey had secured by using her outrageously gorgeous eyes and her remarkably sharp elbows in equal portions. Stalker took one of the outside spots in the booth, while Courtney sat in the center of her side, glaring at anyone who looked like they'd try to join them and take Beach's spot.

Stalker shook his head. "I don't know that I remember being that young."

Lydia hugged him. "Honey.. you still are that young.." He kissed her and Courtney cleared her throat. "Oh child! Don't you start that! Like I don't know where that smug look came from on BOTH your faces this morning."

Courtney felt her face turn red and covered her cheeks with both hands. "Oh my god... it's not that obvious... nooo..."

Stalker began laughing. "Oh please... Beach was strutting this morning like.. like a tomcat after a successful night in the alleys. If it hadn't been so early, every Ranger in the run would have been on his butt about it."

She went still. "He was.. bragging? About.. about us?"

Holding up both hands in denial, Stalker shook his head. "Oh HELL no! He ain't said word one about anything. But, you know.. it's just obvious.. to folks that know him. You'd think he'd won every competition at Ranger week the way he's bouncing."

Courtney settled back. "Well, I better not hear he's running his mouth.. I'll give him what-for..." She twisted to peer out the windows. "Where IS he!" Seeing the familiar tousled hair and a corner of one shoulder as he strode through the crowd waiting outside, she smiled fondly. She didn't see any bounce in his walk, it must be a guy thing. He was headed directly inside, obviously certain she'd gotten a table. It was good to see he trusted her to be competent. She waved brightly at him when he got inside the front door. "BEACH! HERE!" He spotted her wave and turned to head that way, his expression dark and angry. "Oh.. he doesn't look happy.. someone must have peed in his wheaties this morning..."

Lydia raised up to see him over the person seated between her and the front. "Oh my.. you're right.. Lonzo.. what happened on the run? Someone picking on Beach?"

"Not that I saw... Hey Beach! What's.." Stalker shoved himself up out of the bench when, confronted with a small group of Rangers who were too busy talking to get out of Beach's way... the burly Ranger put a shoulder down and knocked two of them aside, elbowing a third hard enough to knock him sprawling into two seated diners. "Crud! Beach! What are you doing!"

Another Ranger shoved angrily at BeachHead and he twisted around and slapped his hand away, growling. The other Ranger raised his hands. "Whoa.. back off dude.. no one is causing any trouble.. heck it's breakfast..." Beach stepped backwards and tried again to head for the table, jaw clenched in anger. There were too many people in the way, and he suddenly reach to grab the table in his way and flipped it casually aside.

CoverGirl was staring open-mouthed at him. "Wayne! What the hell has gotten into.."

He was standing over her in an instant. "Why are ya here! Why the HELL are ya here!"

Stalker stepped around his friend to fend off a few of the customers that had been seated. "Hold up.. hold up.. no trouble! Come on.. my man is having a bad morning.. let us take care of it.. okay? Come on... he's not like this..."

Beach hadn't stopped shouting. "Why weren't ya at the room? Why couldn't ya be there an' tell me? WHY! Just... Ah can't believe you'd do this to me!"

Courtney scooted further into the bench. "Beach.. sit down.. what are you talking about? Why would I be back at the room? What are you freaking out for? It's no big deal! You're just acting like this is all serious and it's not.."

He wasn't giving an inch, his accent thickened until he was barely understandable. "Is nawt serious! NAWT SERIOUS! Hell it'us serious las' nigh'! So now is jus' go harin' off wherever ya wan'.. after all tha'.. ya know.. ya KNOW! Ya know how it is wit' me! Ah TOLD YA! AH TRUSTED YER SORRY ASS! An' then Ah get back this mornin' an' yer not even THERE!" His voice was so tight and strained that it cracked... and even more disturbing to Stalker, the angry man didn't even seem to care.

Courtney was rising to the fight now. "What? Last night? Oh.. OH! I see! I sleep with you once, and that means I'm yours and I'm to wait where you want me until you TELL me where I can go? How about you shut up? How about you shut THE FUCK up? How's that suit you?"

Beach's eye twitched and he snatched her arm, dragging her across the bench seat. "The LEAST ya could gawd damned well do was ta tell me in danged person!"

Lydia put a hand on his arm. "Beach. Let her go." Her calm controlled voice seemed to cut through his anger and he glanced down at his hand and released Courtney's arm like he'd been burned. "Calm down..."

He suddenly jerked his arm away from her. "Don't tell me ta calm down! Ya never liked me.. yer probably parta the reason she left!"

Stalker stepped up in front of BeachHead and held his hands out to the side. "Look man.. you're mad.. let's walk out of here.. let's go have a walk.. take it outside.. get some of the mad out.. okay? That cool?"

Beach rocked side to side and shook his head. "Ain't right.. whut she done.."

Unable to ignore his words, Courtney struggled to stand up, pushing at Stalker from behind. "What _I_ did? Beach.. I left you a note TELLING you.."

He flipped. Stalker barely caught him as he grabbed for their table to throw it like the first one. "Whoa! WHOA! BEACH STOP!" The angry Ranger sputtered and snarled at the stunned woman. Stalker raised his voice louder. "OUTSIDE! OUT!"

"HOLD UP! Beach! Stop it!" Without warning Sergeant Green appeared behind Beach and wrapped him in a full nelson hold to simply begin dragging him towards the door. "Stop fighting with me.. I will pound your butt right into the ground Sneeden.. it's Daniel... " Beach kicked and struggled and Daniel lifted up and shook him rather viciously. "HOLD UP, SOLDIER!"

When Beach stopped fighting with him, Green turned him and hauled him outside, followed by CoverGirl and Lydia right behind her. Stalker brought up the rear, apologizing, pointing the displaced people to their empty table. "Sorry.. sorry.. look, the man's having a bad morning.. we're gonna take care of it.. breakfast on me.. just.. take our table.." He waved at the manager. "Just.. let me know what the damages are.. sorry.. our bad.. man's having a few issues this morning.."

Rather than getting irate over it, the manager just waved him out, and directed the clean up. It wouldn't be the last time some sort of fight broke out in a business around Benning. The madness of Ranger Week just added to the chaos.

Outside and BeachHead was being hemmed in by Sergeant Green on one side, confronted by a now angry and hurt CoverGirl in front of him and Lydia was standing by her. Stalker moved to close the circle. Courtney spoke in a tightly controlled voice, unnerved by his anger yet furious at him attacking her over nothing. "Beach.. I need you to tell me why you're so angry that I came to breakfast..."

He nearly spat the words out. "You LEFT! You left.. you said you wouldn't.."

She interrupted. "Beach I never said I was going to wait at the room for you! Besides I left you a note.."

He suddenly flung the wadded bit of paper at her. "Yeah! Can't even damned well tell me yerself! Just.. just left! I let you.. let.. why.."

She flattened the note out. "Beach did you read it? It said for you... " She looked back at the bit of paper and then flipped it over. "Oh for god's sake..." She reached towards his face only to have her hand slapped aside. "Beach. Please.."

"Don't touch me.."

She sighed and held the note up. "This isn't my note... Beach.. I wouldn't leave you.. the pen ran out of ink.. "

"You tryin' to tell me ya didn't write that?" Beach flicked the bit paper with his fingers.

Courtney looked at the note and back at him. "Well.. yes.. I did.. but.."

He exploded again. "BUT WHAT!" She slapped him. Hard too. His mouth snapped shut.

"Wayne Sneeden. Shut up." She considered his face for a moment. "We'll go back to the room..." Turning to the others she shook her head. "It's fine.. no, it's fine.. go have breakfast..." Courtney stepped up to hug Sarge for an instant. "Don't worry..." She ignored the flash of jealousy on Beach's face. "Come on.. "

"Ah ain't gon' no where with you!" Beach staggered as Sarge's hand impacted the back of his head. "OW! Dammit!"

Green stepped up close. "GO with your lady to the room.. shut your mouth, you've said more than enough, Sneeden." When the angry man started to retort, he glared him silent. "For once, shut down that stupid temper and listen instead. Don't screw it up."

Beach clamped his lips shut. "Fine." Turning on his heel he headed down the sidewalk. Courtney trotted to catch up after a last apologetic glance at everyone.

"Beach.. will you please give me a chance..." His strides were long and fast and she almost had to jog to keep up. "Beach.."

"Whut? Ya wanna go to the room.. we're goin' to the room.. ya wanna leave? Then just leave.." His flat tone gave her a pang. He was hurting and worse, he was shutting her out.

"I want you to just listen.."

"Listen? Listen like last night? When yer words were sweet and nice and promisin'..." He stopped talking again and sped up. Courtney gave up and followed him to the motel. When he slammed into the room, she rushed to the bathroom and plucked the note off the mirror. Coming back into the room, she found him tossing his duffel onto the bed.

"What are you doing? Beach..." She sighed and grabbed the clothing out of his hands. "Beach.. look.. LOOK!" She pressed the folded page into his hand. "LOOK AT IT!"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

Finally she exploded at him. "BEACHHEAD! Oh my GOD! Just READ THE DAMNED NOTE!"

He was taken aback by her vehemence and stepped backwards slightly. "Fine..." He opened the bit of paper and his eyes flicked over it a few times. "Oh shit."

She crossed her arms and waited for him to digest the note, watched his face when he realized his entire rant had been based on nothing, and finally saw his hand come up shakily to rub over his jaw. Courtney stepped a little closer. "Are you okay?"

"Ah..." He blinked and shut his mouth. "Ah thought..."

She tried to reach for him and he moved out of reach. "Wayne.. it's okay. But.. I'm not going to hurt you.. I'm not going to leave you.." He shook his head and she sighed. "You're going to have to let go of that.. "

"I dunno how.." He edged away again. "Courtney.. I just realized.. you got a hold over me.. you have.. yer so important to me.. I just can't take it." His breathing quickened. "Do you realize you could destroy me? Just.. you hold my very soul in yer hands... and at a whim, you could crush it?"

Courtney wiped at her face quickly. "Wayne... I love you. I do. I never meant to cause you the slightest bit of pain. I didn't set out to cause this whole relationship to happen."

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Don't change the fact that you hold all the cards here." He looked over at her laughter, an annoyed expression crossing his face. "It ain't funny!"

She walked up slowly, slipping her arms around his neck despite his insincere attempts to deflect her. "Wayne.. we're nuclear superpowers here." He paused in his moving away again to look puzzled. "You have the same cards I do. I love you back you know. You hold my heartstrings, and I have your soul. We've both got the same red button.. but neither of us want to use it.. and we won't. I'm never going to try to twist your love to hurt you. You won't ever use my foolish adoration of you to control me. We want each other.. and we love each other.. and that makes it all even, and that means..." She smiled at him, gazing into the deep brown eyes that were still filled with hurt. "That means it's all okay. Really."

He finally stopped trying to escape and stood still, her arms still loosely around his neck. "Courtney, I've never wanted to love someone so much in my life. It scares me. I ain't used to nothing scaring me.. much less a danged relationship scaring me. It's just stupid."

She nodded patiently. "Anything worth having involves risk.. the bigger the reward you're going after, the bigger the risk. That's the way of life, you know that."

He snorted derisively but she saw the tense muscles along his neck begin to relax slightly. "Ain't the way it's supposed to be. People what fall in love are supposed to be happy and stuff, it's supposed to be simple and easy."

Smiling and shaking her head, Courtney sighed theatrically. "Nothing is ever simple or easy with us. You should know that by now. But Beach, I won't ever use your love against you. Not ever, I promise."

Finally his hands came up to rest on her waist lightly. "And now I'm supposed to just trust you on account of I love you and all that, right?"

"That's right. And you can worry and fuss and squabble, but it's still going to end up the same way." She stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips, nibbling a little on his lip. He responded with heat, dipping into her mouth with his tongue. "I love you.. no matter how many neuroses you have buried in you."

He sighed at her. "I love you Courtney.. and if that dooms me to a lifetime of pain, then I'll have to deal with it somehow.. cause I can't stop loving you."

"Good, I hate having to chase you down to kiss you.." She kissed him some more to show her appreciation for the activity.

He groaned softly and let his hands travel down to cup her rear gently. "You know we won't be all like this at the Pit... "

She gave him a tug towards the bed. "We're not at the Pit.. commere..."

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End Chapter

See? It's okay. Please put down the pitchforks and torches. More to come soon! I hope it was satisfactory!


	18. Making up is eassssy

Chapter 18

Thank you all for the reviews and feedback! I appreciate hearing what you are thinking and am pleased to answer questions(if you SIGN IN to leave the review, otherwise I cannot respond) or talk about fic. I've got a few plot bunnies to write up, always looking for the next fun idea.

I hope you enjoy the chapter! Continued from last chapter...

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Quite a bit of time later, Courtney was brushing her hair at the sink counter when Beach groaned and rolled over face up on the bed. He twisted to look at her out of lazy satisfied eyes. "Yer the hottest woman I could ever imagine, Courtney..."

She smiled prettily at him in the mirror. "That's so sweet! You're the sexiest Ranger I've ever seen, and I saw a lot of them this morning in those wonderful tiny little Ranger panties..."

"Yeah well.. it's Ranger week.. and yer eyes better be on me in my shorts, not on all them other guys. I'll get all jealous." He suddenly frowned. "Heeeeeey..." He pointed rather randomly at the ceiling. "Was that.. 'make-up sex' we just had?"

She sighed and rested her face in her palm for a second. "Yes Wayne.. whatever."

He struggled to untangle himself from the slightly damp sheets. "Well, no no.. cause you know.. we were fightin' and then we stopped fightin'.. and then the sex... so.. that was make-up sex then, right?"

Courtney thumped her head on the wall twice. "Yes, it was make-up sex."

He brightened. "Well how about that... but ..." He frowned again. "Make-up sex is supposed to be like.. the best ever.. so.. I mean.. that wasn't exactly the best sex ever.. "

"Wayne, shut up."

"Oh no, not that it weren't good! It was! It was great! And not just because I'm a guy and I got to have sex either. But it wasn't as good as last night.. although I can only compare it to our first time.."

Rhythmic pounding of one's skull into the innocent drywall didn't relieve any of her frustration, but she did get a good beat going.

"OKAY!" She interrupted him. "Okay.. so let's go get something to eat.. I know you're running late now and if you miss the shooting competition you'll be pissed all week." That got him distracted and within five minutes he was dressed and grabbing the gun case up. "Anything I need to bring too?"

"Nope." He paused suddenly reaching for the door handle and rushed back to her to put an arm around her in a abrupt hug. "I'm really sorry, Courtney." He squeezed her. "I'm an idiot and I dunno why you'd keep puttin' up with me. I dunno how to make it right..."

She reveled in the unexpected affection. "Pish... Wayne I love you. I have no doubt I'll make you want to tear out your hair enough to make up for you wrecking half the diner this morning." He turned loose of her and suddenly looked appalled. "It's okay.. Stalker offered to pay for the damages.."

"Oh gawd..." Beach put a hand to his forehead. "How am I gonna explain that? Dammit.."

She rested a hand on his arm gently. "You say 'I'm really sorry' and then your friends accept your apology and you pay for whatever you broke." He nodded sheepishly. "Then your friends tease you about it until the end of time, or until you do something even stupider, and they switch over to tease you about that instead."

"Greeeat. See.. this is why I'm just a hardass that no one wants to ticc off.. nobody goes teasin' me about crap on accounta they're scared I'll beat them to a pulp if they make me mad. This whole 'friend' thing and 'social' stuff is too complicated and stress-inducing." He opened the door and waited for her to scoop up her bag. "How do you make those fatigues look so danged good?"

She smiled over her shoulder, knowing the sway of her hips was catching his attention. "If you must know, Jaye turned me on to this tailor in town, he custom tailors my uniforms, same as he does for Jaye. Of course, he doesn't do any of our specialized outfits, but for regular Army togs, I like to look presentable."

He thought it over a moment, following a step behind her. "Yer talkin' about Sven on Ninth and Fenway street downtown, right?"

Courtney stopped in the street to turn and stare at him. "How the hell do you know Sven?"

He got a smug look to him, smirking as he walked past her. "Well, if ya MUST know, he tailored up my dress Ranger uniform when Hawk said I had to look my best fer a black tie affair I hadda go to with him in DC." She trotted to catch up and fell into step beside him. Beach looked down at her with a pleased expression. "Hawk said to go to him and have him fit my uniform 'properly' so that I'd look good as one of his aides. I was more security goon than aide, but then Hawk usually has good reasons for everything he does."

She nodded, trying to place the timing of that event. "Didn't Duke go too?" Beach nodded. "I remember you leaving with them, but no one really knew what the event was, or why Hawk took you two and not Flint."

"Had to have one of the three top officers on base. Duke had contacts in intelligence or something, he wasn't around much. All I did was hang around behind Hawk, go and fetch things once in a while and loom over any of the pencil necks what got too close to the General." He grinned toothily. "I was the only aide better armed than the actual security detail was."

"Sounds terribly exciting." Courtney pointed at the diner. "So.. going to try for breakfast a second time?"

BeachHead sighed. "Really? Naw. I don't wanna go in there. I done made a big enough fool outa myself this mornin' already. I'll go talk to the manager later." His stomach rumbled on cue and he made a face at his own belly. "Yeah yeah, shut up."

She laughed and patted his arm. "How about I go in and grab us something to go? I can catch up with you on the shooting courses and bring it to you?"

He relaxed and nodded. "I'd appreciate it." He bent slightly and kissed her cheek as she presented it to him. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." She inhaled and nodded her head to the side. "Daniel and Benny are over there.. are they looking for you?" He sighed heavily and she reached up to rub a hand on his back reassuringly. "They're your friends, they'll understand."

His low voice sounded embarrassed. "Better than ya know, girl." He shrugged off her hand. "See you on the shootin' lanes." He walked off towards his friends and she wended her way into the diner, squeezing between people and apologizing with brilliant smiles to soften the annoyance at her edging her way inside. Once she was at the counter and had ordered breakfast sandwiches, Lydia tapped her shoulder.

"So?" Her eyebrow went up in a question. "What was the explosion a la Beach all about?"

Courtney blushed slightly. "Ahh.. well, remember the note I wanted to write?" A few minutes later and Lydia was groaning and shaking her head. "I know.. I know.. it's just a comedy of errors with us. Anyone else would have tossed the first note in the garbage or finished it on the same paper.. or had a damned pen in the first place."

Lydia tutted. "Or perhaps not assumed the worst case disaster when reading an obviously truncated scribble, or taken the time to talk to you before exploding in fury and wrecking tables in public. How do you put up with him?" She seemed so annoyed that CoverGirl felt a flashing impulse to yell at her in defense of BeachHead.

She swallowed the first retort and paid the waitress behind the counter for the food. "You don't understand..." She paused then turned to speak in a low voice. "There's reasons that Beach assumed the worst, okay? It's just not something I can tell you about, but.. it's not his fault. He only blew up because he was hurting inside."

Lydia snorted, but seemed a bit more understanding. "Well, he'd better not be grabbing at you like that again or I'll take his big Ranger butt to task over it."

Now Courtney laughed loudly, taking her bundle of sandwiches. "Thank you! It smells wonderful." She nodded towards the crowded doorway. "Lydia, love you, but.. well.. Beach and I aren't exactly delicate with each other. He's never hit me.. well, not when we're arguing or anything like that. Beach would never ever hurt me that way."

The ebony beauty shook her head. "Oh? 'never hit you while you were arguing' but he's hit you otherwise?" Her raised eyebrow and skeptical expression made Courtney grin. "It's no laughing matter."

"Well, in this case, yes, it sort of is. Beach has hit me a lot of times.. in training. You know.. instructor to student training?" Lydia rolled her eyes. "Yeah.. privately, he'd slit his own throat before he'd lay hands on me like that. Now, I've beat the stuffing out of him a few times, but.. well. SnakeEyes says we're like a couple brothers he knows. We might rough-house with each other and scuffle around some on occasion out of irritability. But we're not trying to hurt each other, just.. arguing with our hands rather than our mouths, you might say."

Lydia gave up. "Whatever you say. It's your butt in a sling if he steps past that line." She suddenly grinned. "Actually from what you just said, I should report you for abusing him. Can you imagine his face if that happened?" Courtney began to laugh at the mental image and they both crossed over the road to the pathway to the ranges. "Lonzo vouches for Beach, you know? He always has said he was a good enough man, just.. not...hmmm." She obviously tried to pick a diplomatic term. "Beach isn't particularly a person you'd take home on leave, understand?"

Courtney snorted. "Beachhead isn't socially acceptable, he's rude and tends to mouth off his opinions at the worst possible moment, barks orders without thinking about it, and hasn't got a clue how to deal with civilians at the best of times. But he's got a good heart, especially for his friends." She grinned slyly at her new friend. "Did you hear that he went on vacation to a teammate's home for Thanksgiving?"

The puzzled expression on Lydia's face was hysterical to Courtney. "Who would possibly want that man in their home for a holiday?"

"He's not that bad!" Courtney sighed. "He really isn't. I'm told they not only survived the experience, but even extended a open invitation for him to come again sometime."

"Wow." Lydia gazed out ahead of them blankly. "I guess maybe there's more to the loud mouth than I've ever noticed. I made him stand out in the snow for three hours while Lonzo got packed up.. last time he came around my home."

"You made him stand in the snow?"

"Well, he's a Ranger, they like doing that stuff. Makes them feel tough." Lydia smiled. "Besides.. he really wouldn't have wanted to listen to at least part of that three hours anyway.. "

"Oh my.. no. Sooo.. is your Lonzo enjoying your company still?" Courtney's leer made Lydia swat at her. "Oh oh! He isssss! I'm glad there's a room between us... otherwise we'd be pounding the walls to make you guys quiet down!"

Lydia pointed a finger at her. "Oh really? I happen the know the people in that room were bitching about all the noises from YOUR room last night."

Courtney blushed. "Okay.. let's call that a draw.. where's our guys? Lonzo is shooting too, isn't he?" She nodded and pointed. "Why exactly weren't you out here?"

She shrugged. "I was a bit worried, so I went back to see if you'd come back to the diner and would have gone back to the motel to check up on you, but then you showed up."

Courtney hugged her. "You're so sweet! Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

Lydia smiled and then sighed. "Well, you seem like such a nice girl.. with really bad taste in boyfriends maybe.." She laughed at Courtney's frown. "Oh stop, you! It's fine. Let's go find our boys."

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End Chapter

I hope you're still enjoying. It's great fun to write the Joes at a real life event. It's a week long event, just to remind you!


	19. Rifle Competition

Chapter 19

Sorry for the late upload. Here they are at the team shooting competition. Two-man sniper teams have one shooter and one spotter. The spotter also does some shooting and then spots targets for the shooter at long ranges, giving him distance, elevation and wind direction so the shooter can accurately place his shots.

Please enjoy and thank you for the reviews!

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Lydia wandered through the gathering of Rangers, most of them chattering among themselves about various rifles. "Look! There's Lonzo.. Beach has to be nearby. They're teamed up for the two-man runs."

"There's Beach right there." CoverGirl waved and caught his eye, holding up his food to show him.

Beach glanced over and then trotted to meet Courtney. "Thanks." He had the sandwich unwrapped and half eaten almost before she'd turned loose of it. "Starving." he mumbled around the mouthful of food.

"Geez Beach.. it's like feeding a feral dog.. chew it some." Courtney shook her head as he inhaled the second half just as quickly. "You're going to get a stomach ache eating that fast." She sighed as he dusted his hands off and held them up at her. "I swear. Did you even taste it?"

"Yep. Eggy goodness with cheese. Tasty. Thank you." He put a hand around her waist and drew her in closely. His voice was soft next to her ear. "I love you.. I'm really sorry about this morning." His intense gaze caught her eyes. "I'll try... I will."

Courtney smiled at him, placing a light kiss on his jaw. "It's okay. Things happen. We'll both learn as we go. I love you." She spotted Benny chatting up Stalker to one side. "Did you talk to Daniel and Benny and all?" She almost felt the heat off his skin as his face went red. "It's all okay.. they're your friends.."

He let go and cleared his throat. "Yeah.. they understood. I told Stalker I'd go settle up with the manager of the diner too. I'll even apologize to Lydia. Is that all? Did I miss anyone I should still go grovel at?" She raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "I know.. it just rankles at me to have to go swallow my pride and admit I was completely and utterly wrong in my righteous anger." He ducked his head and pressed it against hers affectionately. "I'm sorry."

"I know.. and I'm sorry it happened too. I don't want you all angry and upset, Beach. It makes me unhappy too, you know?" Her lips pressed lightly at the edge of his throat, then on the hinge of his jaw before she licked his earlobe ever so lightly... then bit it sharply. She laughed softly as he jumped away, grabbing at his ear and cursing. "Sorry.."

"Dang it woman..." He tried to glare while rubbing his ear. "What was that fer?" His head tilted sideways as he felt for damage. Suddenly he grabbed her and yanked her up tight to bury his face into her hair, grinning. "Do it again.. come on.. I dare ya!" His lips worked along her neck, tickling and she squirmed trying to get away while laughing. "What? Come on.. vicious little tank jockey.."

"Stop it.. I will bite you!" His deep chuckle made her twist and try to sink her teeth into his shoulder. He tucked it under her jaw instead, making it impossible for her to reach to bite anywhere easy. She settled for kicking at his knees, managing to land a few on his shins. "I'm gonna take out your kneecap, you big pain!" She wrestled almost free only for him to wrap his arms around her from behind and tighten down. "Leggo!" She bounced around fruitlessly, leaping up in the air as the only direction she could move with him hanging onto her.

"Say uncle.." Beach yanked his head to the side to avoid the back of her head as she tried to headbutt him in the nose. "Ahh ahh! Say uncle.."

"Bastard.." She hooked an ankle around his lower leg to yank him off balance and he staggered, still remaining upright. Throwing her weight unexpectedly backwards, she knocked him down and rolled free before he could make another grab. Beach regained his feet nearly instantly but held up his hands in surrender when she dropped into a crouch. "Yeah.. you better back off! I'll beat your Ranger butt into the ground!" They were both all grins. "You're too full of yourself."

"Yeah well.. come on.. you wanna take a look at the guns?" He beckoned her to walk with him. "There's some nice rifles kitted up for the target competition." Stalker ambled over. "Lonzo, you get our numbers?"

Stalker handed over a paper number. "Yeah.. and we're 17 in the lineup. So we won't be too late, although then it's static target shoots after the two man combat simulation. I got the rifles turned in, they're marked and stacked."

"Alright." Beach handed his tag and the pin to Courtney and turned his back. "Would ya pin my number on?" She began fastening it in place and he turned his head to speak over his own shoulder. "Don't pin it upside down neither."

"Damn it Beach.." She flipped it over. "You really are no fun. Close the eyes in the back of your head already, it's unfair." He chuckled, and she slapped his back. "There.. all tagged." They wandered down the group of waiting Rangers. Beach suddenly froze and she heard his breath catch. "What? What's wrong?"

"That..." He nodded towards a lean blond Ranger wiping down a rifle. "That's a International Marksman 300." He bent his head closer to hers. "It's gotta be the sharpest rifle made in the danged world.. all stainless action, double coiled springs, double padded synthetic stock.. they ain't made enough of them yet..." He sighed out a breath softly and shifted his weight to his other foot.

"So.. it's a nice gun?" Courtney peered at the rifle. It seemed very... clean. "It's very.. umm.. nice."

"Nice gun? Courtney.. it's an INTERNATIONAL. Dang woman.. it's... it's like saying yer GTO is a 'cute sedan'." She bristled automatically and he nodded. "Yeah.. now ya see? It's one of the hardest to find sniper rifles. I'd give my left leg to get a hold of one." His eyes stayed fastened on the coveted weapon as the owner finished wiping it down, stopping to chat with a teammate. "Gawd.. it's gorgeous."

"Beach?" Courtney's eyes narrowed. "Are you getting.. ahh.. 'excited' over that gun?" Her guess was confirmed when he jumped guiltily and turned red around his collar. "You are! Oh my god.." She laughed softly, covering her mouth with a hand. "That's so... cute, in an odd really weird way."

"Shut up Barbiedoll. So it's a sexy rifle.. so what?" He shifted uncomfortably. "I can't help it.. I want one. Ain't able to run one down to buy it yet neither. All the folks with influence keep puttin' 'em on preorder." He watched longingly as the rifle was slid into a case and sighed after it.

"Aww.. poor Beach." Courtney leaned in closely to whisper in his ear. "I wonder if I could convince that nice man to let me borrow that rifle.. I could pose naked with it for you..."

She saw his eye twitch, felt his whole back stiffen and listened with some rather wicked level of delight as his breathing went all shallow as his mind envisioned it. Then he turned towards her, his eyes alive with heat. "Courtney..."

"TEAM NUMBER SEVENTEEN! Up on the line NOW!" The announcement from the official for the next team was loud.

The shouted order made Beach grit his teeth. He opened his mouth to apologize for leaving right away and saw her grin slyly. "Gawd DAMMIT Cinderella.. that's just damned cruel.. dammit.. Ah gotta go run the damned course now!" His snarled curses got fainter as he trotted up towards the starting area. Stalker joined him, looking puzzled at the grumpy attitude. Courtney strode over to the best area to view the course, and crossed her arms with a satisfied air.

Lydia found her within a few minutes. "Hey girl. Beach and Lonzo are about to start the run. What bug flew up BeachHead's shorts? He seemed in a good mood when I saw him. Now he's all frowning and such."

She smiled smugly. "Oh.. I think I might have made him slightly frustrated." Lydia gave her a questioning look. "I offered to pose with some super rifle he's lusting over." Her smile widened.

"Ahh.. that would do it. Poor guy. Either he'll bomb the course because running is too uncomfortable, or he'll blow through at record speed to get done so he can get you back to the hotel." Lydia suddenly turned a stunned look on her. "You put money on his finishing time, didn't you?" Courtney nodded. "Oh my god.. you devious woman you. I can't believe you're putting bets on your man, and taunting him to get him to go faster."

Courtney hummed. "Yes, terribly immoral of me. Benny's giving eight to one odds."

Lydia twisted around, hand already going to her purse. "Where is he? I got twenty." She spotted the short Ranger and trotted off to speak with him. Courtney waved cheerily at the two figures at the far end of the course. Apparently neither could see her but she simply smiled to herself, feeling a lot of pride in her fellow Joes. Lydia arrived back and leaned to search out the pair with her eyes. "Alright.. Benny better have a lot of cash. There's gonna be some massive payouts in about half an hour."

"Yeah, I got a hundred on them breaking the Benning record." She smirked. "I didn't bet on them winning, just that they'd break the record." Lydia groaned. "Yeah.. he might have already closed that book down. I'm thinking that my GTO's new instrument panel will get ordered after this." Courtney straightened. "There they go!"

* * *

Both figures sprinted across the open starting field, jumping across two wide ditches without pause and diving under the barbed wire crawl. Predictably, Beach exited first, running ahead until Lonzo popped out behind him, then both broke into sprints to the low log wall. Stalker's faster speed caught him up with BeachHead so that they reached obstacles about the same time. Once over it, they were at the first station.

A Ranger instructor pointed them at the rack of weapons, where both of their rifles were propped, safeties on, loaded clips laying next to them. Both Rangers snatched up rifles, slammed clips into place and removed the safety to bring it to bear on the targets downrange. Stalker dropped to a knee to fire his three shots at all three targets, while Beach took a standing position and fired off his three. The instant the third bullet was fired, Beach clicked the safety on.

"Clear!" He took off, carrying his rifle now, tossing the sling over his head and tucking a arm through. Stalker was only two steps behind him, clearing his own weapon and they sprinted for the rope net to scramble up and over it, tossing the rifles to their backs out of the way while they climbed. They hit the ground running and Stalker hit the ladder on a shooting platform. Beach was a step behind, allowing his teammate to gain the top first. Once at the top, he spotted targets for BeachHead to take out. Ten targets, ten shots and they slid down the ladder by grabbing the outside rails and dropping to the ground to take off again.

The next obstacle was a set of log hurdles which slowed them slightly as they clambered over the higher ones and jumped the lower ones. Carrying weapons made it a bit more difficult, although neither Joe seemed bothered by their added burden. Onlooking Rangers and Army soldiers were muttering and watching, discussing various aspects of their run. Ignoring the audience, both Rangers made the next shooting stand and snapped the safeties off. Beach lifted his rifle as he took the last three steps and sighting on the moving targets two hundred yards downrange, took his shots quickly. Stalker wasn't as quick but hit his own targets within seconds of his teammate. Safeties back on, they sprinted again, dropping into a knee deep mudpit. Beach held his precious rifle over his head to protect it from splashing mud as he high-stepped through the muck easily. Stalker plowed through behind him, falling slightly behind again. He caught up once they climbed out the far end and started running.

The next shooting exercise was inside a building, where they needed to take each room in combat mode, making their way to the top floor of four levels. Once again, Stalker spotted while BeachHead took the shots. The audience couldn't see anything of the shooting. The two Rangers were inside the building, shooting out through a window from across the room. Other than hearing the shots, there was no way to know what was happening. When they exited at a run again, Lydia grinned and yelled encouragement.

"YEAH! Go LONZO! That's my man!" She waved and jumped in excitement. "They hit every target. Saves time on the run."

Courtney nodded, shading her eyes as she watched her Ranger running upright, holding the rifle in both hands in front of him, barely pausing when he took jumps over tires and logs strewn in the area. "How do you know they didn't miss any shots?" She watched him hand off the rifle to a instructor and leap up to climb over and under a series of logs that got higher from the ground. Stalker was behind him and she thought she could hear Beach chastising his teammate for not being faster.

Lydia looked at her and frowned, her smooth face crinkling slightly. "Didn't you count the shots?"

"Oh.. I guess I should pay more attention to the shooting and less to how nice Ranger butts are when they're running?" Both women laughed and turned their attention back to the now racing pair of men as they finally reached the finish line, now carrying the rifles again. "Come on! Let's get down there!" Courtney turned to head through the crowd and Lydia grabbed her arm to stop her. "What? Come on.."

"It's easier for them to find us here than for us to find each other with both of us moving. Don't worry, it won't take long." Lydia crossed her arms. "I know.. young and impatient... you'll outgrow it one day."

Courtney grinned at her. "People have been telling me that my entire life.. hasn't happened yet." She enjoyed Lydia rolling her eyes in exasperation.

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End Chapter

Sorry it was late! More shooting to come!


	20. Shooting

Chapter 20

I own no rights to the characters of GI Joe and make no money from my writing. I'm very glad people enjoy this, feel free to review or PM. A little bit longer chapter this time!

Continued from where the last chapter left off...

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Lydia crossed her arms and nodded at the course, tilting her head over at CoverGirl. "Isn't that your friend Benny running now?"

Courtney stopped searching the crowd for her own Ranger and peered at the running figure. "I think so.." She watched as the slightly built Ranger clambered over a log wall and kept going. "Yes.. that's Benny." Cupping hands to her mouth, she shouted loudly. "GO BENNY!" Keeping her eyes on the small man, she spoke in a contemplative tone to her companion. "You know that Daniel and Benny were part of the first combat unit Beach was ever part of? They basically trained him in real live combat." She turned to look. "It's really kind of sad.. Daniel is working a desk job now, and Benny and Wayne are the only Rangers left out of their whole unit still alive. Every other guy got killed in some way." Her face turned away again to stare across the field blankly. "I couldn't imagine that.. all those guys they knew.. that they served with and fought beside.. all gone."

Lydia sighed softly. "That's part of being a combat soldier, honey. Sometimes the guys just don't come home." She reached a hand out to Courtney's arm. "You should know this by now. I've had to sit with Lonzo while he mourned lost brothers in arms. You'll probably have to do the same with old Beach one day. Well.. " Her eyes glinted with mischief. "If he has a heart in that hairy chest to care about folks with, that is."

Courtney narrowed her eyes. Placing both hands on her narrow hips, she glared ferociously. "Now you leave Beach alone! I'll have you know he's a perfectly caring person.. he just.. well.. " She deflated a little. "He just hides it really... really really well."

Lydia smirked. "Reaaaally well, I'd say. It's all the shouting and stomping and such that disguises how tender-hearted he is." She watched the younger woman snort and look away. "I'm sure he's a big marshmellow.. he just has everyone on earth fooled with his hardass act."

"Oh stop it. Beach is a good guy. Stop picking on him." Even knowing Lydia was merely teasing at her to get her ire up, Courtney still felt a little sulky over it.

"Who's pickin' on me when I ain't around to defend myself?" Beach's voice was full of good humor as he walked up and captured Courtney by the waist. "Hey darlin' did ya watch our run?" Without waiting for an answer, he tucked his face down under her chin and kissed at her throat. "Ran it real quick.."

She squirmed in his embrace, wriggling her neck away from him. "Wayne! You're covered in mud! Stop.. oh my god.. " She shivered as he kissed the join of shoulder and neck. "Oh.. oh.. yeah.. you ahh.. shouldn't be.." He hummed softly as he began to nibble and she felt her protests growing weaker. "People are going to... uhh.. ahh ahhh! They're going to be looking.."

"Let 'em look.." Beach seemed determined to taste every square centimeter of skin and stopped only when Lydia cleared her throat pointedly. He turned loose of Courtney and straightened up. "Lydia. Nice to see you again." He turned a little bit red and shifted his weight uneasily, brushing at the drying dirt on his uniform. "I uhh.. I'm sorry about this mornin'. I didn't head out to go makin' such a scene.." He trailed off and glanced at her.

She shrugged. "It's fine BeachHead. You were just stupid." Ignoring how he bristled at her words, she continued. "We've all been in love and it always makes us stupid. Just part of the deal, you know?" Reaching out to him, she gave him a firm pat-pat to his arm. "You'll learn. Most likely you'll learn very slowly, if I don't miss my guess based on the few times I've met you.. but I'm confident that you'll learn."

While he stood there looking confused about whether he should be insulted or not, Courtney took the opportunity to give him her own pat-pat. "Say thank you, Beach." He frowned down at her and she nodded. "It's sort of a complimentary thing she said.. "

"Are ya sure? Cause it didn't make a whole lotta sense." When she nodded again, he sighed and turned to Stalker's wife. "Thank you." He straightened to look over quickly to the side and then back at Courtney. "Did ya.. talk to the guy..?"

Her puzzled expression suddenly turned embarrassed. "Oh... oh no.. geez.. I was.. you know, kidding. I wasn't going to actually ask him to borrow the rifle.." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously when he turned a chuckle into a cough and tried to look innocent. "You bastard. No, I didn't. But now I'm considering going to ask him if I could borrow it because my big doofus boyfriend gets more aroused over his gun than me."

"Yeah, don't do that." Beach slipped an arm around her. "So didja watch our run?"

"Yes we watched you two running like fiends. It was great. Did you miss even once?" Snuggling up against his chest, Courtney reveled in the unexpected affection. "Where is Lonzo anyway?"

"Talkin' to some guy about somethin' or other. He'll be along. And no, I didn't miss. I don't usually, especially at a competition." He got a smug look on his face even as he wiped some of the mud off his jaw. "Broke the Fort Benning record on time too." He flinched as Courtney jumped up and down, yanking away and looking around. "What's gotten into you, Barbiedoll?"

"Where's Benny? He owes me some money! Yeah!" She turned to him to pinch his cheek before he could jerk away. "That's my over-achiever! Yes you are!" Her wide grin grew even brighter as she spotted the sheepish pocket-sized Ranger approaching her. "Benny! My man's time says you owe me a few dollars."

"What? Ya bet on my danged time on the course?" BeachHead looked from her to Lydia who tried to look innocent. "At least tell me ya didn't get me all wound up on purpose just.." When Courtney shrugged nonchalantly as she accepted the stack of bills, he threw his hands up. "Oh mah GAWD! Ah can't BELIEVE ya would go an' do that!"

Benny counted out a much smaller payout for Lydia and raised an eyebrow at the ranting man. Nodding his head at him, he looked at Lydia. "What's his beef? His girlfriend just won a small fortune on him breaking Benning's record."

Lydia folded her cash and tucked it into her purse. "She got him hot and bothered before the run. Something about naked and rifles." She smiled and shrugged. "I guess he's appalled. Nice doing business with you, Benjamin." He twitched and she raised an eyebrow. "Sorry.. Benny."

"Thanks. Every time someone calls me that I flash back to Catholic school and wooden rulers." He glanced at Beach who was still fussing although much less vehemently with Courtney to one side. Just a flash of jealousy crossed his face. "Well, he looks like he'll get over it."

"I'm certain she'll convince him to get over it in no time at all." Lydia brushed clinging mud off his sleeve. "You Rangers do come up with some muddy courses to run."

He grinned and shook his pants' legs and brushed at the dirt splattered up on his shirt. "It's tradition." He excused himself to leave, walking into the crowd and disappearing. Lydia crossed her arms as Stalker came winding through the crowd to find her.

She tilted her face to the side as he came up to hug her. "Oh no. You took too long to get here." She twisted slightly in his embrace to face away. "Now you'll have to make it up to me."

He smiled slowly, gathering her in tighter to him and beginning to kiss under her ear and moving downward bit by bit. "Oh I do, do I? I'll try really hard..." When she wriggled a bit, he laughed softly and tickled at her ribs. "Maybe I should cheer you up and make you laugh instead?" She struggled to get loose, slapping lightly at his fingers. "Oh ho! Come here you.." When she relented and kissed him, they spent a few minutes in the tight embrace, kissing tenderly and murmuring softly to each other so only they could hear.

Courtney put a hand to her chest. "Oh they're sooo cute.." Beach snorted beside her and she smacked his arm. "They are! Stop being a hard ass for five minutes and be happy your teammate has such a loving woman in his life. Aren't you happy Lonzo has her?" Shifting her weight back onto her heels, Courtney watched the pair who were ignoring everything around them to drink in each other's presence.

Beach snorted louder this time. "Yeah sure." He turned away and she watched his shoulders shrug in the odd movement to resettle missing armor. "I'm gonna have to head to the static target shooting. If I can get done with it, we'll have the afternoon for whatever." Reaching towards her, he took her fingers in a gentle grip. "Do you want to... umm.. come watch the target shootin'? If you'd rather watch this, it's more excitin'." His expression was closed to her as he affected to not care either way.

She smiled and impulsively flung her arms around his neck, startling him. She hung on his chest and kissed his chin. "Of course I'd rather go watch you. Why would I want to watch uninteresting guys run around a obstacle course?" His hands closed around her ribs and he lifted her enough to kiss her lips lightly. "Mmm.. sexy Ranger man of mine." He turned her loose and she sighed at him.

"Alright.. let's go get my rifle back." His hand lingered on her back, drifting lower to her waist as she walked beside him to the finish area to request his rifle back. While they stood and waited for the corporal to return the gun to him, Beach leaned over slightly to speak quietly. "I'm really glad you came with me." He straightened before she could respond and pulled away, stepping to take his precious rifle back. BeachHead immediately checked the gun's action and magazine before pocketing the clips and slinging the ammunition bag over a shoulder. Heading off at a fast walk, he turned to look back at her. "Come on.. no lollygagging Princess.." As he walked, he tucked a hand into a pocket to pull out a small card covered in figures. Reading over it, he barely noticed when CoverGirl nudged him over to the left hand pathway towards the marked rifle ranges. As they turned the last corner to emerge at the target range, he put the card away and hefted his rifle, greeting the lane instructors on duty with a nod.

"Sergeant major Sneeden! Good to see you." He gave a quick salute and a respectful nod. "Staff sergeant Daniel Briggs, lane instructor. Please use the third lane.. your targets are green." He paced over to stand behind the 3 shooters, while CoverGirl stood behind everything out of the way. She watched BeachHead stretching out on his belly, setting his rifle onto steadying sandbags and clicking the loaded clips into place. Then he waited patiently for the instructor to clear the firing range and order the targets up.

She watched as the targets came up far downrange. The protected bunker about 200 yards away concealed the range crew who set the targets in motion, moving them up and down the length of the bunker, passing behind barriers to make hitting them a bit more difficult. The rifles cracked as the three currant Ranger contestants began taking shots at their designated targets. She couldn't tell who hit targets or indeed which target they might have been aiming at. Instead she watched for green targets dropping as they were struck. The last one dropped just as the instructor commanded the targets down.

Briggs nodded at BeachHead. "You're done. We will tally your score and submit it at the end of competition. Unload and clear your rifle. Clear your lane for the next Ranger."

Rising to his knees, Beach nodded sharply at him. "Yes staff sergeant." He gathered up his items and moved over to where CoverGirl stood. "Not bad.. I shoulda gotten through those faster." He tucked items into various pockets, and reslung his ammo pouch.

Beach watched the next set of Rangers shooting at their targets and then glanced at the slender woman standing beside him. The bright sunlight made the strands of hair gleam and he swallowed down a sigh, resisting the desire to touch it.. to inhale the light fragrance of her shampoo..

"They're pretty good, Beach." Courtney turned to look at the Ranger who was engrossed in the target shooting and ignoring her. "I thought I was a decent shot, but geez, these competition shoots would be making me sweat."

Beach snorted. "Well, maybe I better make sure you start putting in some extra time at the ranges Barbiedoll. If you ain't this accurate, you ain't up to snuff." His weight leaned forward onto the toes of his boots for a moment as he watched the last few seconds of the round. A pleased noise issued when the instructor called time. "None of 'em hit all their targets."

"Well Beach, when you rely on missiles instead of little bullets, you don't have to be quite as accurate." Courtney's smile seemed wicked as she teased at him. "Plus, I can drive to my targets instead of having to run around carrying everything on my back. Much more efficient." She watched him hiding an amused smile. "And if I miss, I can just run them over. A few squishes with the treads of a Mauler or my Wolverine tends to quiet most hostile forces down a lot."

"Smartass." Chewing his tongue thoughtfully a moment, Beach suddenly hefted the rifle case to his back. "You stay here and catch Lonzo, let him know to meet us back at the motel if'n he wants to go out to eat tonight." She put both hands on her hips and he paused, frowning. "What?" Bending to kiss her, he rolled his eyes as she stepped back, ducking away. "What?"

"You could ask me to stay to give Lonzo a message, Beach." She crossed her arms, looking annoyed as only that gorgeous tank jockey could. Her lips got all pouty and her eyes got hard and sharp. "Don't start ordering me around. Vacation time, remember? It might be Fort Benning, and we might be in uniform, but if you want to start acting like a sergeant major, I can go entertain myself doing some things myself until you get all of that out of your system."

He thought over his phrasing and tilted his head at her. "Fine. I'm gonna give ya this one, Courtney. Would ya stay and let him know? I wanted to go get cleaned up so I wouldn't get mud all over ya all afternoon. Unless ya would like to come back to the motel with me.. maybe help get it all washed off?" The look he was giving her wasn't quite joking and she got warm.

"But.. but..." She took a breath, not used to him being so forward with her. "I mean.. it's just, what about Lonzo and Lydia? They won't know about dinner... or.. where.. uhh.. " She edged away slightly as he stepped up very very close to her, looking down into her upturned face. "I umm... Wayne...?"

"They'll figure it out." She could inhale and smell warm manly enticing smells coming off him. Even the damp odor of mud made her face grow a bit hot. Great.. she was going to be conditioned to think muck was the best cologne ever at this rate. "But.. Ah could just go clean up myself.. " He stepped away and she could suddenly breathe freely again. "Either way... just stay here, and I'll be back in a bit. We'll go look at the garages or somethin' if'n you'd like that."

"Yeah.. great. I'd love to." She crossed her arms again, not caring if it looked insecure right now. This new sexy forward Ranger was almost unnerving and yet she really really liked it. "I'll just hang out here until they come through."

"Alright... be back in a while. Don't go far." He broke into a trot, headed down the path and she smiled as she watched him running. While regular Army fatigues weren't nearly as revealing as the Ranger PT shorts, the wet mud had managed to plaster them along the lines of his butt and legs.. and the shirt was neatly outlining the muscles in his back. The trot sped into a ground-eating lope as Beach reached the open area and he disappeared behind a row of trees heading for the roadway.

"Ahhhhh... " A deep sigh of contentment seemed too loud and she glanced around with some embarrassment. "Damn.. " She fanned herself a little and tried to focus on the shooting again. The range master was watching her as the next group set up and she blushed and looked away. His smirk told her he'd seen her watching Beach leaving and she cursed softly under her breath. "Where the hell is Stalker?"

* * *

End Chapter

Well you never know what's coming up next with these two. Stay tuned for more.


	21. Deadly Roads

Sorry for the missing update! I'm giving you a double length chapter to make up for it. Thank you for all the continued support in reviews, I'm endeavoring to get this written as well and as quickly as possible.

Chapter 21

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Beach loped along easily, staying at the edge of the roadway to avoid the sidewalk and the people walking. Fewer people crowded the sidewalks as he got further along the roads, and they virtually disappeared once he exited the gates. The guards at the fence insisted on seeing his clearance and checking everything thoroughly while he stood and waited impatiently. By the time he was handed his ID and cards back, he was annoyed with the delay. Settling back into a lope, he headed up the street towards the hotel.

As he ran, he thought about Courtney, and how his invitation to come back to the hotel had flustered her. For some reason that pleased him, probably because she'd spent the past months flustering him at every opportunity and it was about time he did it to her at least once. Of course, he held no illusions about his ability to do it a second time. Given time to regroup and think about it and Courtney wasn't liable to stumble again. He grinned to himself. He'd just have to think up something new to prickle at her about.

The road gave off a soft warmth from the overhead sun, and he wished he wasn't coated in mud from his thighs down. The muck stuck the front of his shirt to his chest and tugged free reluctantly as the running pulled at it. His pants clung and itched a bit as the mud dried on the cloth and he stomped his feet a few strides to dislodge the worst of it. A bit of dirt wouldn't slow him down in the worst of times, and healthy and well-fed, it didn't bother him more than a minor annoyance he might notice. He'd only thought about showering and changing when he saw Courtney brushing the mud from her own shirt where he'd transferred some when he'd hugged her. The whole dating thing meant he had to consider what she was thinking instead of letting her decide her own stuff like intelligent folks. At this rate, he'd need to drag a bag of clothing to the Benning laundry if he wanted clean clothing. He rolled his eyes. Staying clean never bothered him before. Other than making certain he was spotless and perfectly in order when he was in full formal uniform, Beach rarely bothered to notice what sort of shape his fatigues were in.

The soft rumble from behind him was the only warning of a large transport deuce truck as he jumped to the right, the truck's front tire brushing his leg. His shoulder caught the front fender and he almost ended up underneath the rear tires as he was knocked down. Only a quick step to shove himself away made him fall across the sidewalk rather than into the road to be crushed. The front tire jumped the curb briefly as the truck accelerated and took off at high speed, the dark exhaust smoke obscuring tags or vehicle numbers until it turned the end of the street.

The stunned Ranger rolled to the side, gathering his wits and giving himself a mental checkover for serious injury. Other than being jarred badly by the fender hitting him, he was unhurt and a quick glance located his rifle in it's soft case safely on the sidewalk as well.

Beach shoved himself to his feet, racing after the disappearing truck and yelling. By the time he reached the corner, there was no sign of it and he cursed, leaning over to brace his hands on his knees and catch his breath after the scare. "BASTARD!" Someone had tried to run him down in broad daylight. Walking back towards where he'd dropped his rifle and the ammo pouch, he cursed more, rubbing at his already sore shoulder and ribs. Crouching down warily, he watched up and down the street as he gathered up the case and reslung the heavy ammunition bag. "Ah'll catch ya, don't ya think Ah won't."

Heading out at a jog, he kept a careful watch on any vehicles and stayed on the inside of the sidewalk. There was no repeat of the attack however, only a few civilian cars passed by him as he watched suspiciously from a few feet beyond the pavement. Most of them sped up to get past the angry looking Ranger holding a cased rifle in a tight grip. Beach glared after a Volkswagon and spat on the street as he turned into the hotel parking lot.

Inside the room with the door latched, he grabbed up the room phone to dial up the MP station. They seemed concerned right up until he mentioned he had been off the sidewalk and in the roadway running when the truck had tried to run him over.

"Ah wasn't in the middle of the danged road!" He fumed as the MP spoke in a bored yet oh-so-reasonable tone. "Yeah Ah'm certain it tried to run me down! A'course Ah coulda been onna sidewalk!" He gritted his teeth as he was given a lecture on safely using the sidewalks as opposed to wandering in the streets since vehicles had every right to be driving on the roadway. "Ah'm tellin' ya'll.. that danged truck TRIED ta run me down! It weren't no accident and Ah wasn't in the middle of the danged..." He shut up and listened. "Fine. Yeah.. ya'll write a danged report up on it. Ah'm danged sure that'll help me out when Ah'm flattened in the danged road!" Slamming the phone's handset down on the cradle, he cursed and stripped off his muddy shirt to fling it into the bottom of the closet.

Cleaning up took him slightly less than ten minutes and he was redressed and headed back out, taking the sidewalks and carefully watching up and down both directions of the street. When another large transport rumbled up behind him, he backed away from the street and put a hand on his weapon in it's holster on his thigh. It slowed to a stop beside him and Benny poked his head out of the front.

"Hey! Beach.. you uhh.. need a lift?" Benny's glance towards the back of the truck made Beach look. A couple Army grunts looked out curiously at the unexpected stop. "Just a quick stop.. sit tight." Benny's voice lowered. "You okay? You look a little weirded out."

"I'm fine." Beach walked around to the driver's door and peered up at his friend. "What are you doin' driving a big truck like this?"

Benny shrugged and grinned. "Transporting a few guys up to the messhall for clean-up. So many guests, the regular crews are overwhelmed you know. Thought you might want to ride with them instead of hoofing it." He wiped at his dashboard briefly. "If you'd rather walk, I don't care either way you know.."

"Naw.. I'd appreciate a lift. Can ya stop up at the rifle ranges as ya pass by?" Beach relaxed and watched Benny pretending to think it over.

"How about I slow it down to about twenty miles an hour and you dive out in a 'tuck and roll'? I recall you being pretty good at those." Benny grinned at him and ducked away from the window when Beach rose up on the step to swat at him good-naturedly. "Yeah I can stop.. geez, climb in the back with the rest of the grunts."

"Smartass. Benny, I'll stuff you in a duffel bag if'n ya don't watch it. I recall ya fittin' in one pretty good.." Beach walked back to the tailgate and climbed up over the tailgate. Whacking at the side, he let Benny know he was in and ready and the engine roared as the truck headed down the road. He waved one of the grunts to move further down the bench. "Make a hole boys."

"Sergeant major." The private scooted down the bench and Beach settled down to sit at the back. "Are you okay? You look upset."

Beach glared at him, making him scoot further down the bench, crowding his fellow soldiers. "Yeah? Try havin' someone almost run yer butt down with a dang truck.. see how ya look!" He shifted back on the bench and glared out of the back of the truck. "Dang stupid." He thought about the truck he was riding in and peered suspiciously at the poor private. "Who was drivin' this truck when ya got picked up?"

"Uuh..." The hapless private seemed to be trying to think of an answer that wouldn't result in him being tossed out the rear of the moving vehicle. "It was Ranger Farner.. "

Beach puffed out a exasperated breath. "Have ya seen anyone else drivin' one of these trucks?"

"No Sergeant major. We were at our barracks.. then we got picked up."

One of the other privates spoke up quickly. "There's lots of deuces running around. Everyone is using them to move guys and supplies all over the base."

"Whatever." Beach frowned to himself and leaned to keep looking out the rear of the truck. He spotted a cargo truck and half stood before he saw two more. Benning was crawling with the big cargo trucks. "Dang it." He'd have no idea which was the one that tried to run him down.

When the big truck rumbled to a stop, Beach hopped out and went to the cab to step up onto the runner board. "Thanks for the lift Benny. See ya later?"

"Sure thing. I'll be around.. just remember, some of us are on duty and have to work you know.. Sarge only let me out for the shooting competition." Benny grinned at Beach who was rolling his eyes. "It's not like we can all be fat and lazy like you.." He ducked as Beach swatted at him and jerked the truck into gear. "Hey hey.. get off my truck.. I got to get these grunts to KP duy. Go on.. "

Beach hopped easily to the ground and pointed at Benny in mock warning. "Later Benny." He trotted along the path towards the static shooting range. Just outside the area, he spotted CoverGirl standing with Stalker, Lydia and Sarge. When he got to the small group, CoverGirl reached to embrace him and he put hands up to push her back. "Someone tried to run me over."

Her face went from confused to shocked. "WHAT?" She looked him over and he made a face, pushing her away again. "Are you okay? What happened?"

He scowled. "I was runnin' along the road to the hotel and someone in a deuce nearly ran me over, I hadda jump outa the way." He frowned at her as she tried to fuss over him. "Leave off, I'm fine."

Sarge stepped up. "Man, Sneeden you gotta learn to stay out of the roadways. The last thing I need is to have to deal with you getting squashed under a damn truck. There's too few of us left as it is."

"Ah wasn't IN the roadway! I was beside the road!" Beach tried to not get angry at his old sergeant. "The guy nearly killed me!"

"Maybe you need to learn to stay on the sidewalks!" Sarge seemed frustrated with him.

Stalker stepped up close. "As long as you're okay. Beach, just be careful, there's a lot of crazy traffic, everyone is frazzled. The driver was probably distracted and didn't see you, that's all." His reasonable tone and calm nod to his teammate didn't work as Beach fumed. "It was probably just an accident."

"It weren't no accident! I'm tellin' ya'll." Beach turned on Sarge. "We both know who the hell it was. He's finally tired of tryin' to nail me with regulations.. he's tryin' to kill me now."

Sarge stepped up close to him and lowered his voice in a warning tone. "Quiet. Do you have any proof? Did you see Amore driving?" Beach clamped his jaw shut. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Look.." He put a hand on Beach's arm, preventing him from turning away. "Look. I'll check into it. Quietly. You can't go accusing a warrant officer of attempted murder with no proof. I'll look at the records.. see who had any of the deuce trucks. Okay? So you chill the hell out."

"But..." Beach shut up abruptly as a small group passed them, talking loudly about their scores on the range. Once they were gone, he took a breath and let it out. "Fine. But you'll find he's the one who..."

"Shut up." Sarge's voice stayed low but the tone brooked no disagreement, rank differences notwithstanding. "Sneeden, you're not an idiot. Settle down and let me look into it." He waited until Beach nodded and gave him a couple pats. "Good. Try to enjoy the rest of the day.. spend some time with your pretty girlfriend, stay out of trouble."

"Yes Sergeant." Beach still glowered over it but he'd let Green find out what he could. There was actually that remote outside chance that maybe it had been some sort of accident. He wouldn't bet on that though. He hadn't stayed alive for this many years by thinking the best of any situation.

Courtney still looked upset and she moved up next to him when Daniel walked away. "Beach? Are you really okay?" He forced himself to relax physically and put his arm up, letting her embrace him tightly for a moment. "You're having some lousy luck here at Benning."

"Yeah." He swallowed another protest that it wasn't luck but intent. "I'm fine." Stalker shook his head and even Lydia looked worried for him. The fuss over his well being made him uneasy and he shrugged. "I'll be more careful."

"You do that, we don't need to be burying you. It would put a pall over the fighting competition tomorrow you know." Lydia raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously. Be careful."

"Awww." He gave her a irreverent grin. "Ah knew ya loved me, Lydia." He felt genuine amusement at her eye rolling. "Ya gonna have me over fer dinner and knit me a hat?" She glared at him and crossed her arms. "Maybe a Christmas card?"

"Shut up. Stop picking at Lydia." CoverGirl pinched his arm and then held a finger to to his nose in warning. "You be careful, you big lug. You've already had your traditional trip to the Benning hospital. No more." She hugged him once more and scuffed his hair to his annoyance. "I'd think falling out of a plane was enough for you. Did you wash your hair? It's still got dirt in it."

He tugged away from her. "I showered fast. Besides.. ya could of come with me and washed it for me.."

Stalker held up his hands. "Not listening... la la la..." He put his hands over his ears and stepped backwards a few times. "No no.. don't want to hear... la la.." Courtney leered at him and cuddled up to Beach's chest, stroking a hand over him in an exaggerated pose. "Oh no no.. that's more than enough. Lydia.. let's go.."

"Oh? We gotta watch ya'll sweet talkin' each other, but ya can't take it from us?" Beach's shout followed after the retreating Stalker and his wife who was laughing at them. "Pussy!"

"Stop Beach.." CoverGirl shook her head, laughing at their teammate's theatrics. "So what shall we do now? You said we have the afternoon free?"

He turned loose and shrugged his shoulders around while he thought. "I dunno. I don't have anything for the afternoon. Do you wanna see the rest of Benning?" His eyes watched another deuce-and-a-half drive by, glaring at the oblivious driver. "Or, I know that Admin told me they had the manuals for those tracked vehicles that are in research and development... we could go see if'n they'll give up copies of the manuals for ya."

Her eyes lit up. "Seriously? The ones with the Caterpillar multi-fuel engines? The dual sprocket ones that can turn a 360 on their own footprint?"

"Uhh.. yeah." He hoped he didn't look as clueless as he felt right then. "We can go to the offices... talk to the guy there. His name is Jacobson... he's on duty until three-o'clock." Her grin made him wave an arm to indicate they should go. "Come on then."

"Beach.. you're the best. " Instead of walking beside him, she inserted herself under his arm to walk embracing him. "I'm really enjoying this trip. I just wanted to make sure you knew that."

Rather than pulling away, Beach endured the affectionate gesture and privately admitted it felt good to have her fussing over him. Maybe Aunt Beth was right, and he'd get used to all of it. He smiled a little at the enthusiastic tank jockey as she told him more details she had heard about the new class of attack vehicles. Most of it went over his head, but he still enjoyed when she would talk to him about something she enjoyed. She got bright-eyed and flushed and he suddenly nodded as a reply, hoping she wouldn't notice that he hadn't been listening. "Uh-huh." She went on and he relaxed. He noted passing Rangers and other Army personnel giving sidelong glances at the gorgeous woman under his arm.

There was a flash of jealousy but he also felt himself preen. After all, she was with him. No worries there. It was ridiculous for him to feel proud of the fact that he had a gorgeous woman on his arm. He sighed lightly. He wasn't going to pretend to understand all of this stuff. That was up to the headshrinks. He was going to enjoy it.

"Beach?" Her query made him look down at her slightly concerned face. "What's up?"

"Just thinkin' that if'n I had to wait so long to get myself a girlfriend, at least I went with quality." He was relieved when she looked pleased, and congratulated himself on not screwing up a compliment for once.

"You're so sweet..." She almost purred, making a warm flush wash through him. "I love when you're sweet to me."

"Don't get too used to it." BeachHead grumbled. "Ain't like we'll be all lovey-dovey on base." That was a worry of his. How would they manage to have any sort of relationship in the Pitt? It was against regulations... prohibited to be fraternizing, despite the others who got away with it. He hummed softly to himself. He wasn't stupid, he knew what went on, discreetly. He might not be a ninja, but if a loud-mouthed warrant officer could keep it quiet, then there was no way that Beachhead wouldn't manage. "I think we'll find ways around stuff though."

Her worried expression cleared. "I'm sure. I've noticed Rangers can be really sneaky when they want to be." Nodding at the set of buildings they were approaching. "Is that where we're going? What was the guy's name again?"

"Jacobson.. Sergeant Jacobson. He didn't say outright that he'd give up copies... but I figure it can't hurt to ask." BeachHead hoped the guy wouldn't refuse. He'd look pretty stupid if he got her hopes up and then the source refused to actually give over the manuals.

"I'm sure I can charm him into letting go of a copy, Beach." She was tucking her hair up in one of those fancy complicated twists that made it look like she'd spent an hour arranging it. He admired the long line of her neck. Hell... the woman had sexy earlobes. "Let's go."

"Ahhh.. I uhh.." He shook his head, tearing his gaze away from her. "I dunno Barbiedoll. He might not be the kind what takes to charmin'. What makes ya think he'll just give in if'n ya ask him nicely?" He went up the steps at a trot following her.

She turned towards him for a few steps, walking backwards. She spread her arms slightly. "They're called 'boobs' Wayne. They work quite well as a negotiating tactic." He twitched and his expression hardened and she tilted her head to the side. "Oh stop. I'm not going to flash the guy. But just the fact that I possess boobs will make him want to help me out. It's human nature you know."

"Ah dunno 'bout that." Beach still felt a little disgruntled over the idea.

"You just leave Sergeant Jacobson to me." She strutted in through the doors, him following despite his misgivings. Maybe he should have just asked the guy himself and not told her at all.

* * *

End chapter

Ahh yes, Beach, hindsight and all that. Is it bad luck on Benning for Beachhead? Is someone trying to off our favorite cranky Ranger? Will he ever manage to fluster CoverGirl again? Stay tuned...


	22. Insert Witty Title

Chapter 22

Thank you to everyone who is reviewing, the feedback helps every author to improve and makes sure that all the plot points are getting used and seen properly! And of course it's just plain enjoyable to get reviews! Now... CoverGirl and BeachHead have just exited the admin building after her requesting the plans and blueprints for the new tracked vehicle from the young man.

* * *

"Girl.. you're danged shameless." Beach shook his head as they left the building. "Ah can't believe you'd do that.. right in front a me too!"

"Oh Beach." She sighed at him, trotting down the steps quickly. "I only talked to him." She flashed a wicked grin to him over her shoulder. "It's not often I get to chat with someone who has a passion about tanks. Don't be upset."

"Yer droolin' on his desk." The Ranger shifted his shoulders inside his shirt a bit, realized what he was doing and stopped. "Dang it..." His gaze traveled to hers and he relented. "Ah'm bein' jealous."

"Yes, you are. It's actually quite adorable, in a grumpy overbearing sort of way." She laughed lightly at his look of disgust. "I promise Wayne, I only drooled about the vehicles.. not about the guy."

"Well that's good. Maybe Ah won't hafta to come back myself later to break his legs then." He stared over at her with a completely deadpan look on his face. "Ah hate when they cry and wet themselves." She started to object but something in his expression gave him away and she swatted at him. "Naw, I won't go beat him up. I'm glad ya found someone that can get ya them blueprints."

Her enthusiasm returned. "He's copying the full manuals and the research and getting it to me before the week is over. It's going to be awesome! I think I might be able to rebuild the gear box, get the sprockets to eek more torque out of the Maulers. If the ratios can transfer to a Mauler from these prototype plans, that is." Her brilliant smile made his lip twitch upwards. "Wait until Clutch finds out that I got copies! He's going to implode!"

They both halted and turned at a shout from behind them. Beach stepped partly in front of CoverGirl until he saw it was Benny pelting up to them. "Benny.. what the hell?"

"BeachHead... dude.. did you get the standings? You came in fourth in the shooting. You and Wilkinson came in tenth in the team runs." Benny came to a stop. "Sarge just told me about this morning. He's checking into things. You weren't hurt?" Beach gave Courtney a significant glance then shrugged. "As long as you're okay, you've got to be careful man. Getting run down on a street in Benning just wouldn't look good, you know? Gotta be a better way to go, brother. But I thought you'd like to know the standings.. you know."

BeachHead nodded at him. "Thanks. I do appreciate it. Wish I had done better than that, but hey.. better to stay under the radar anyway. Are ya off duty?" He stepped off the walkway so that a group could pass, nudging the smaller man to follow suite.

"Nope. Just running over to the Ranger offices to grab the recruit list for the PT endurance run and saw the two of you. Turns out a couple guys got pulled by medical. They got busted knees. Sarge is pissed over it, but guys get hurt. Whatcha gonna do? They'll have to opt out and try to go through next rotation."

"Disappointin' though." Beach tilted his head. "Get goin', cadre members can't be late." Benny smacked his chest as he passed by and Beach grunted, reaching up to rub at the spot. "Benning cadre oughta be glad they got him around. Ain't no one works harder fer the Rangers." He watched CoverGirl watching the smaller man trotting alongside the walkway as he dodged his way towards the offices set aside for the Ranger units. "Are ya lookin' at Benny's ass?"

"Of course I am." Courtney glanced at him then waved back at the retreating form. "I mean.. look.. it's all tight and round and perfect..." She beamed happily at him. "I love Ranger butts. You guys all go rushing around doing all that PT and firming up all the buns of steel.. how could I NOT look?"

"Well you could try.."

Courtney nudged Beach with her elbow as they walked together along the sidewalk back towards the PX area. "Hey. Sorry you didn't win the competition. You still got fourth place. That's not bad."

He shrugged. "Not bad. Shoulda been first, I gotta start takin' time to target practice at the Pitt more. I been slackin'."

Although she rolled her eyes at the concept of Beach slacking at all, she didn't comment. "That was the single most exciting target shooting I've ever seen. What made them start adding running a obstacle course first and all that weird shooting positions?"

Beach reached to pluck some leaves off a tree they passed and began to absently tear them into bits. "It's more like real life shootin' that way. Ain't no use in learning to shoot a target from a shooting bench. You get out in the field, run halfway across creation to get to where you can even see the target, be under fire from hostiles so you gotta find and stay under cover while you shoot.. that's how you know if you'll be able to hit your target." She nodded and he tossed some leaf bits at her. "Ain't like some trainin' where they just figure hitting the target from 25 yards is good enough. Rangers got to do more."

She grimaced and brushed at her hair to dislodge the trash. "Yeah yeah, Rangers got to show up everyone else in the universe." She poked his arm. "And don't throw stuff on me."

"Yeah.. well." He tucked his hands into his pockets and smiled just a little bit. "You'll get that." Suddenly he straightened and looked across the field. "Well I'll be... looks like they're wranglin' up some folks for some Ranger ball!" He broke into a trot then turned back to look at her. "We ain't got no where we're supposed to be.. right?"

She frowned slightly. "Well no.. I mean, I thought we were going to check out the garage, but it's nothing urgent. What's Ranger ball?" She followed after him as he grinned and jerked his chin at the rather unruly group of Rangers gathering on the open field. "Beach?"

"Come on.. you can watch, I ain't played Ranger ball in years." His enthusiasm made her shake her head and follow. Once he joined up the group, a few of them looked her over with frowns. "She's with me. Corporal Krieger, posted with me."

She was oogled by a few of the younger guys. The general shuffle separated them and she raised up on tiptoe trying to see where he'd gone.

One of the Rangers stepped closer, smiling widely. "Corporal Krieger? Nice to meet you... Nathan Favela..." His grin widened as he slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm a sergeant.." He motioned at his sleeve. "Want to see my Privates?"

There was a general smattering of laughter and several groans. Courtney smiled up at him. "Oh.. you know, that's an attractive offer.. but I don't do miniatures and I forgot my magnifying glass. Sorry."

His arm left and he mimed a shot to the heart, staggering backwards while his friends hooted in laughter at him. One beefy man punched lightly at his arm. "Awww... you just got told. The girl just took your nuts there." He leaned in to Courtney. "Now.. you're welcome to examine me at your leisure.. and you can take all the time you like."

There was a ominous clearing of a throat and Mr Bold turned to see Beach standing, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. "Ah jus' know ya ain't harrassin' my gal right here in fronta me and everything."

"Sneeden? I didn't know you were here!" Her 'harasser' grinned and whacked Beach in the chest. "What are you talking about your 'gal'? You ain't got no gal."

Courtney ducked an outstretched arm to scoot over next to Beach. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" She scowled.

"Oh ho ho! Look at old Sneeden with his lady defender!" The smug grin grew and he bent to speak to her face directly. "You better watch who you side with Missy, I might take your little guy here down with a elbow to his head.. never know when.. UUUNNGHHH!" The light thud when he hit the ground was almost as satisfying as the little whimpery noises he made.

Courtney smiled. "I know who to side with." She turned on her heel and looked up at Beach who was just as stunned looking as the rest. "So.. are you going to play some ball with your friends?"

Beach looked down at the man curled into a fetal position then back to her. "Ya just dropped a three hundred pound Samoan by kneein' him in the 'nads. And ya just wanna know if'n I'm gonna play ball?" She nodded and he blinked and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm gonna play ball. You gonna stay to watch?"

"Oh yeah.. not missing this for anything." She reached up to give his cheek a pat. "You have fun." When she turned to wend her way out of the pack, she heard the ribbing begin at him. Once out of the pack, she spotted Stalker and Lydia just walking up. Stalker's face got the same excited look and he turned to kiss his wife quickly and disappeared into the expanding mob. Courtney walked up to her new friend and sighed, shaking her head. "I swear, they all turn into little boys when someone produces a ball."

Lydia shook her head somberly. "I wish it was just some football or something." She raised her voice. "LONZO! You be careful!" One hand emerged from the confusing mass and waved at her. "Hopefully no one breaks any bones."

Courtney tilted her head in query. "From playing football? I mean, I figured they play rough.. but.. still."

"Oh it's not football though.. it's 'Ranger ball'. Think of football, mixed with rugby and brawling.. only with less rules and more property damage." She sighed as the mob began dividing apart into two teams. "I personally believe it's a semi-legitimate excuse for a riot."

"That bad?" Courtney watched a minor scuffle break out over a coin toss. Apparently grabbing the coin mid-air was considered okay by at least some of the players. The behavior was apparently also considered poor form by some of the other players who nevertheless considered pounding someone's head into the grass to be okay. "Oh my.. so.. where do we stand that's safe?"

"Oh we should be fine here.. the only way to be safe would be to leave the state.. they're... hmm.. energetic." Lydia pointed. "See? They'll snap the ball like in football.. then it's pretty much mayhem until someone calls the play over. At least they have a couple guys to act as referees."

CoverGirl frowned and leaned to try to see more clearly. "Does that referee have a guy in a headlock?"

"Yeah.. like I said.. less rules. More mayhem."

* * *

End Chapter

Next up.. the hotly anticipated Ranger Ball. The game that's so rough professional rugby players refuse to watch from the sidelines.


	23. Ranger Ball!

Chapter 23

Ranger Ball is completely my invention after seeing a few military guys playing "football" off duty. There is no such thing as Ranger ball anywhere other than this fic.

I hope it lives up to your expectations!

* * *

CoverGirl wasn't quite sure where the dividing line was between organized sports and riots... but she was certain the game of 'Ranger ball' fell into the riot category. She'd been wondering where the sidelines actually were, and finally realized the sidelines were really just suggestions of where to begin the ball play. She and Lydia had to scramble out of the way when a ball carrier came flying through into the parking lot area. No less than ten car alarms went off when the pack of chasing Rangers barreled into the parked cars, and one fairly nice car acquired a Ranger-shaped dent in the passenger door when Stalker body-checked the guy into it.

The trip into the parking lot had been tamer than the chase through a nearby restaurant. For some unknown reason, the ball was taken in the front door, there were a few shouts and yelps, and a few minutes later most of the troop emerged at top speed from the next door clothing boutique.

CoverGirl turned to her friend. "Don't the shop owners complain? I mean.. are the cops going to show up and arrest everyone for the property damage?"

Lydia sighed. "Well.. yes and no. Most of them don't bother complaining until Ranger week is over. The base commander issues a blanket apology when it's done, just as a formal thing. The insurance claims after this week are astoundingly entertaining. I think the area insurers have just started accepting 'Ranger week' as a legitimate claim for anything damaged. Last year they managed to completely destroy a commercial dumpster. A few broken dishes or a clothes rack knocked over seems pretty minor to most people." She smiled suddenly. "Last year, two restaurants near here just put up signs anytime a game of Ranger ball broke out. Said 'Sorry for any inconvenience, Rangers declared our kitchen as an end zone, back in one hour.' I understand they had more business than any previous year."

Courtney sighed at the pile on the far edge of the field. "They are rather.. energetic about playing, aren't they?" She suddenly raised her voice. "BEACH! NO BITING!" She shook her head. "It's going to take forever to get him calmed back down after this."

"Well, at least they get all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after it. That is, if they don't break anything." Lydia waved. "GO LONZO!" She raised an eyebrow at the mechanic. "How are you liking Ranger week with BeachHead?"

CoverGirl blushed and cursed at herself for doing it. "It's going well. Umm.. really well." She turned the tables on Lydia. "How's the time with your hubby going? Is he especially glad to be able to be with you?"

Lydia acquired a very satisfied smile. "Oh yesss.. he's always properly appreciative of the time we get to spend together. And here at Benning, we don't have the kids interrupting. It's very... nice. Now if I could get his buddies to stop banging on the door at 3am, I'd be a little happier."

"Oh you too?" Courtney crossed her arms and watched the ballplay migrate into the edge of a copse of trees. "Oh.. don't run into the trees! They're going to kill themselves." She winced as one of the bigger Rangers smashed into a sapling and knocked it down. "Oooo.. poor tree, never had a chance. Yeah, the door knocking and the harassment late at night gets old quickly. I swear, it's like a frat party of psychopathic maniacs here. I keep wondering when I'm going to get invited to a 'kegger'."

"You haven't? Huh. Odd." Lydia grimaced as the player carrying the ball headed for the trees again. This time he didn't make it and went down under a pile of bodies. "I'm pretty convinced that the purpose of Ranger ball is so all the guys can practice killing folks without getting sent to an actual war zone. Oh nooo.. they broke the ball again."

Courtney perked up. "So the game is over?" She watched the shuffle as the player passed the limp remnants of the ball around a few moments. Within a minute someone slapped another in the head with the deflated ball and a minor brawl broke out. She spotted BeachHead going down under a couple of guys and watched him manage to kick his way free.

"Oh, they'll just play with the flat ball a while. The ball isn't really all that important to the game. I think the main objective is to tackle someone. If it's the ball carrier, or someone protecting the ball carrier, that's great. But if that's too far away, you just tackle whoever is closest. Preferably someone on the opposing team.. but anyone will do." The tall black woman watched her husband dragging a few guys apart. "Sometimes the authorities will show up and take their ball. They'd just find something else to play with. Once.. they lost the ball during a run through the woods, but went through four more plays before anyone realized nobody had a ball."

"Oh my god.. you're joking, right?" CoverGirl shook her head when Lydia affirmed the statement. "They really are insane. Oh nooo.. they keep heading right for the woods.." She watched the pack sprint into the trees. Courtney jumped, slapping her hands over her mouth when BeachHead was body checked into a tree at top speed. He slammed into it and bounced back to lie on the ground and she headed that way, stopped by Lydia grabbing her arm. "He's hurt! Oh my god.. that guy totally pushed him so he ran into that tree!"

"Give him a minute.. he'll be fine. See?" Sure enough her Ranger was sitting up already and within a moment managed to find his feet again. Although he shook his head a few times, he shrugged off the impact fairly well. "See? BeachHead is tough. And if you go rushing out there, he'll never live it down. And you'll have to hear yourself referred to as his 'mommy' the rest of the week. Trust me, they are merciless about ribbing the guys about stuff like that."

CoverGirl scowled. "Well.. yeah I guess. As long as he's not hurt. Hey.. what are they doing?" She stared. "Did that guy just yank up a rock? What is he doing with a rock?"

Lydia watched. "Oh.. new ball. Looks like the flat ball isn't any good. They'll just play with a rock. Told you.. the ball isn't too important. And that's why the cops don't bother taking the ball anymore. I heard once that Frenchie Melanson tore the fender off of a guy's Jeep and they used that as a ball one year."

Looking at her closely to see if she was pulling her leg, CoverGirl hummed softly. "Huh... okaaaay. So do the cops actually show up? Or are they terrified the Rangers will just use one of them as the ball if they try to interfere?"

"Oh no.. it's standard for the police to show up, they just give them some time to play first. When the cops show up, the game is over. Commander's orders. He doesn't like the melees to involve local authorities, or end with any of the Rangers having to post bail." Lydia's face broke into a grin. "GET HIM! GET HIM LONZO! GO BABY GO!" She beamed. "That's my man. Look at him run! RUN BABY!" Stalker was tackled and taken down, and bounced to his feet to get into a shoving match over the rock's placement. BeachHead ended up defending his friend, and they both disappeared within a small riot for a few minutes. By the time it cleared and the rock had been placed by one of the battered referees, the first police car showed up.

The cop walked up to observe the Rangers for a moment before he turned to the ladies. "Are them guys playing ball with a rock?"

Lydia nodded, still watching the men playing. "Yes.. it's really the only thing that stands up to Ranger tackles." She finally turned to him. "Are you here to stop them?"

"Yeah.. supposed to issue a warning. Shift officer wanted me to issue warning citations to everyone.. but heck.. I ain't writing all that out." He seemed almost bored.

Lydia nodded then put both fingers in her mouth to emit a piercingly loud whistle. Heads went up across the field and she waved and pointed at the cop standing beside her. "GAME'S BEEN CALLED ON ACCOUNT OF COPS, BOYS!" Although there were a lot of groans and moans and fussing, the mob broke up and began to disperse. The rock was abandoned at the edge of the field. "There you go, officer."

"Thank you ma'am. I appreciate it." The young cop stood around to wait until the field emptied before he drove off.

BeachHead trotted up and grinned at Lydia. "Yer guy bodychecked a guy into a car.. didja see that?" He seemed really pleased about his Joe teammate's destructive abilities.

Courtney couldn't help smiling at him. "Yes.. I saw. Are you okay?"

He gave a shrug. "Sure.. bit of a ruckus playin', but then.. that's Ranger ball." He crooked an arm for her to take. She noted him twisting his opposite shoulder a bit and resolved to check later to make sure he hadn't injured something.

Lydia shook her head. "I saw you running into that tree. Now BeachHead.. what did that poor tree ever do to you?" Her mock scolding didn't affect him overly much.

"It got in my way.. ain't that enough?" His shoulder lifted and dropped again. "Ya'll gonna want to hit someplace for dinner or are you guys just goin' off by yourselves again?" He watched Stalker coming across the field chatting up someone else. The two broke apart as he got to the small group and the other Ranger gave a polite nod as he took off to catch up to a mob leaving. "Stalker.. damn man.. you didn't really have to step on my danged head that time."

"Shouldn't have put your head under my big boot then." Stalker faked a punch at the other man before he stepped over to hug his wife instead. She kissed him thoroughly and he smiled at her.

Lydia nodded towards the other couple. "They want to know about dinner. We going to join them for something to eat.. or are we grabbing something fast to head back to the room?" Her leer made him roll his eyes and pretend to think it over. "Let's go get some real food honey."

CoverGirl grinned suddenly and elbowed Beachhead. "She said 'honey', Beach." Her grin got even wider at the displeased noise he made. "Don't you like 'honey', Beach?"

"Shut it, Kreiger." His glare made her tip her head up and kiss his cheek. "We're goin' to eat at a real restaurant then?" After a bit of discussion between the three familiar with the Benning area, they decided on a restaurant. Stalker mentioned a few of his Ranger friends who would come along and they headed back to their motel to clean up for dinner.

* * *

End Chapter

I hope Ranger Ball was enjoyable. Poor Fort Benning, you could imagine the maintenance crew with the repair orders... ahhh... Rangers.


	24. Unhappy Revelations

Thank you guys for all the review! You rock! It's soooo necessary to know what the readers are thinking so I appreciate the feedback!

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Chapter 24

Back at the hotel, BeachHead and Stalker both ended up outside at the car waiting on their ladies to finish getting cleaned up.

Stalker looked over at his teammate. "Soooo... how's things going?" His emphasis on the word 'things' made Beach tilt his head. "Come on, man... it's not like the two of you aren't being obvious." He grinned as Beach turned red.

BeachHead opened his mouth to reply when it was evident his fellow Ranger wasn't going to let up until he responded. He was saved at the last moment by a bellow of anger from one of the other rooms. Both of them looked up as a young man staggered out of the room. "Well well..." Beach got a smug looking smile on his face as he watched the boots getting thrown into the parking lot.

"Damn! Damn damn damn! That was low! My feet are purple! PURPLE!" He bent down and sniffed. "My feet smell like GRAPES! DAAAAAAMN!" He glared around the parking lot and up and down the line of rooms. "Oh.. I'll find out who did this! WHO PUT KOOLAID IN MY BOOTS? Damn you!" He stormed back into the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Stalker laughed softly. "Prank war must be going on. I hope we don't get hit in the fallout." He turned and saw the evil smile just before Beach wiped his face clear to a disinterested bland gaze. "Oh no.. no no.. you're not involved. No way."

Beachhead blinked innocently at him. "Did you know Koolaid doesn't wash off when it's applied with significant moisture.. like say.. sweat in a set of combat boots what someone wears through mud and puddles? It stains the skin." Stalker groaned and put a hand over his eyes. "Well, they stuck duct tape on me and saran wrapped Courtney's sports car."

"Riiiiight. So 'they started it' is going to be your excuse?" Beach gave a mild shrug and Stalker just shook his head. "Just try to keep me and Lydia out of it. It's bad enough to have my friends banging on the door at midnight." The lean Ranger nodded his head at the hotel doors as the ladies emerged and headed over. His voice lowered. "Remember to compliment her, Beach."

"I ain't an idiot." Beach watched Courtney chattering at Lydia as they walked over. She was dressed rather nice in jeans that hugged all her curvy bits and a sweater that looked plush and warm but fitted to her chest in a way that made his hands itch to smooth all the lines. After a moment he realized she was standing right in front of him with her arms crossed and he swallowed nervously. "Hey.. uhh..." His traitorous eyes dropped again and he dragged his gaze back up to her eyes to see her quirking one eyebrow up in a question. "You look nice."

"Thank you." She continued to watch him as he struggled to keep his eyes above her shoulders. "Beach?"

"Hunh?" The sweater was knit out of big fluffy yarn and he bet it would feel so soft to stroke, especially with those twin mounds underneath..

"Beach!" She rolled her eyes as he brought his attention back to her face. "Do you mind?"

"I don't mind one bit.. " He paused. "What don't I mind?"

She leaned in and kissed his lips softly before pulling away. "You're sitting on the driver's door. Everyone is waiting for you to move so we can leave."

"Uh-huh.." His hand came up to cup around the nape of her neck and draw her back down to kiss her again. "Sittin'... move... yeah.."

Laughing softly, she tugged at his arms to move him away from the car, turning him to the side before she gave a little push to separate them. "Down boy. Get in the car." She raised her hands to the pair waiting. "Sorry guys.." She shooed at him. "Go on.. get in the car."

He blinked at her then looked at the laughing Stalker and Lydia. "Hunh? Sorry.. I uhhh.." He walked around to the passenger door and clicked it open as Courtney leaned to unlock it. "Shut up..."

Lydia put her hands together under one of her cheeks and blinked her eyes at him. "Oh BeachHead.. you're just sooo cute when you get all twitterpated." She climbed into the backseat with her man who was still snickering at Beach's distraction. "Lonzo.. isn't he adorable?"

Stalker shook his head. "I think it's a little disturbing, but yeah.. reminds me of us way back when." He exchanged a long kiss with his wife.

Beach settled into the front seat. "Way back when, my ass. Ya'll don't never stop all that foolin' around." He slunk down in the seat a bit and grunted at CoverGirl when she patted his knee. "Whutever."

"It's okay Beach. I know you're just admiring my sweater's high quality wool." She smirked at him as she cranked up.

His eyes glinted slightly in the deepening twilight. "Ain't the wool.. I was just thinking how nice it's gonna look all bunched up around yer neck later on."

Courtney choked slightly. "BEACH!"

"Heh.. ya'll started it."

* * *

Dinner was a typical sedate meal with half a dozen Rangers around a table in public. That's to say they kept it to a low roar and kept the profanity to a fairly moderate level.. if you used the motorpool as a standard. Stalker's old friends greeted BeachHead and Courtney warmly, thumped Stalker around in a friendly manner and groped Lydia until she threatened to sicc Beach on all of them. Once they'd settled down and managed to order food, everyone began exchanging the news on old friends who were missing from Rendezvous.

Corporal Riggins waved a bread roll around randomly. "Oh.. no no.. Micky is Stateside.. but he's tied up in some big important administration stuff. You know how stuffy he is.." Those familiar with the Ranger in question all nodded. "He told me he'd make it.. but I didn't expect him. Now.. Moose.. I wish Moose would show. Last I heard, he was stationed over in Korea on some sort of hush-hush thing. Him and about four others. Probably sitting on their butts and wishing they were anywhere but there."

Stalker nodded. "I hear you. What about old Bjong? Speaking of Korean.."

Riggins snorted at him. "Bjong wasn't Korean.. he was Chinese. And I haven't heard from him in years. Pity. But hell, we all got those we lose track of. Shit.. I was told by Benny that he'd just about given you up for dead, Sneeden."

"Yeah?" Beach sucked the butter off his fingers after finishing off another bread roll. "Well, I been given up fer dead on more than one occasion.. I'm still kickin' around." He shrugged. "We lost too many guys in the last few years though."

Stalker sighed. "Yeah.. losing guys is almost easier than having to wonder what's happened to someone that's dropped off the radar though. I understand how Benny would be worried about you. Most of us have someone we can't locate. I mean.. being in a hairy situation with guys really makes a bond."

Beach agreed readily. "That's right sure enough. Go through a firefight and you do start feeling a bit of brotherhood with folks." He looked at nothing for a moment. "My first unit.. when I wasn't even a Ranger yet, hell, I'd walk through fire for any of them. Sergeant Green and Benny is all that's left."

Corporal Riggins let out his own sigh. "Yeah.. my combat unit is scattered all over creation now. Hell.. we had this one time.. we were all spread out through a field, and a bunch of the enemy popped up.. had us in a crossfire. We just walked right into a major kill zone. If it hadn't been for our two staff sergeants, we'd all have been coming home in bags. They put up a firing zone and got us out of there in a hurry. One of them carried our medic on his back for nearly fourteen miles to the extrac zone. Every time we stopped, that damned medic would crawl to anyone who was wounded and treat them. I had to tie his mangled leg up myself and he was arguing about how much gauze I was using. Kept saying to save it for the other guys. Gauze.. you know? Man but he was one tough medic."

Stalker nodded. "Yeah.. I wish I knew where Tommy is now. How he's doing.. if life is working out for him finally. He went through the wringer in the war. That guy was amazing.. I mean... I saw him run into gun battles and walk out unscathed. He could stay as cool as a cucumber under fire and never twitch an eye even when bullets were flying. Tommy jumped off a chopper, ran through bullets and tracer rounds to carry... " He paused. "Carry one of us out.. after he was wounded. Craziest thing I ever saw. No matter what happened later, I'll always remember him saving our bacon.. and saving that guy's life."

Riggins nodded. "Hell yeah! Where's he at? Did he finally bite the big one?" Stalker shook his head and shrugged. "No? You lose track of him?"

BeachHead leaned on the table. "Hell man.. you know you could track him down. We got..uhh.. access to enough tech to track down just about anyone." He ignored Stalker's demurral. "No way.. guy like that.. saved yer life? Can't let someone like that just slip between the cracks. Tell ya what.. gimme a name, I'll have Sarge put a track out on him."

Stalker looked aside. "No no.. I'm sure he'll turn up. It doesn't matter."

Beach wouldn't be deterred. "No way. It matters. Dang man.. it's a Ranger.. and a hero at that. Man ought to have some recognition fer what he's done. Too many of us just serve and go unnoticed." He lifted his glass of tea. "To those that ain't here." Everyone followed his toast. "Now.. tell me the details so I can go to Sarge tomorrow and have him start workin' on findin' your old friend."

"Beach really.. it's fine. He probably doesn't want to be found... he's always liked his privacy." Stalker looked aside to CoverGirl. "You know how guys are that.. uhh.. like their privacy."

She nodded. "Yeah but you know.. it's always a good feeling to have an old friend contact you. Let's you know people remember you. What about the guy he saved? I mean.. did he survive? Wouldn't he want to get in touch too?"

Beach's expression brightened. "Yeah.. hell Stalker! Who was.. hey... was that.. our.. uhh.. 'quiet friend'?" Stalker nodded looking more and more like he wanted to drop the subject. Oblivious, Beach leaned back. "Well there ya go. If anyone would want a guy like that found, it'd be him. What's his name again? You said Tom?"

Stalker sighed and glanced around the table. "Tommy... and we won't find him, Beach."

Beach smiled easily. "Of course we will. Rangers hang together. We're brothers in service like no other branch.. Rangers lead the way!"

His teammate leaned across the table slightly to speak quietly. "His name is Tommy.. but he generally wears a lot of white.. really good fighter... I think you've seen him go up against our quiet friend..?" He raised an eyebrow and hoped that BeachHead would finally understand and shut up.

Beach's brows suddenly furrowed in thought as an unsettling realization began to dawn on him. "Oh... oh HELL NO!" He stood and opened his mouth only to shut it suddenly. "You... " He lowered his voice and hissed angrily at his teammate. "He ain't no damned Ranger."

Stalker shook his head. "Calm down.. I was trying to.."

Beach seemed to swell with anger. "He AIN'T no Ranger!"

Now Stalker bristled slightly. "He is! He might have done a lot of stuff he's got to answer for.. but he's a Ranger.. same as you.. same as me." His flat no-nonsense tone didn't brook any disagreement. "I suggest you drop the subject. You know we can't discuss..."

BeachHead snarled and slammed his chair out of his way as he stormed out of the restaurant. Covergirl looked from Stalker to the door. "What? I don't understand.."

Stalker shook his head while Lydia put a concerned hand on his arm. "Let it go.. I can't talk about it. I shouldn't have brought it up at all in the first place." He sighed heavily and patted Lydia's hand. "I'm okay.. I just didn't mean to upset Beach."

Lydia glared at the door. "Well, there's no reason for the big lunk to act like that." Stalker quieted her as Courtney excused herself to go check to see if he was okay. Lydia called to her as she reached the door. "Honey, if he starts up with you outside, you just come in.. don't you let him get out of control and go off on you like before."

Covergirl paused with her hand on the door. "Lydia.. with all due respect. Shut the fuck up." She exited and searched the parking lot for the big Ranger.

Following the rather loud noises of banging, she found him stomping and kicking at some sort of metal trash around the side of the building. Looking at it, she thought it might have once been a fender off a large truck.. although there was a possibility that it had been a industrial air conditioning unit also.

"Beach?" She raised her voice when he seemed oblivious to her presence. "WAYNE?" He gave one last kick to the metal shell and turned to glare at her. "I uhhh.. are you okay?"

He threw an arm up in the air. "Okay? OKAY? What the hell? Gawd dammit... how could he? How could he sit there.. and.. and …. and GLAMOURIZE that bastard? After everything he's done.. and... GAWD DAMMIT!" He wheeled around and gave a massive side kick to the metal, sending it tumbling over to crash back to earth with a resounding noise.

She took a breath. "Wayne.. what does it matter if Lonzo has a old friend? I mean.. you don't have to like whoever it is... but you don't have to get so upset.."

He spun around and rushed up to get in her face. His low voice hissed out the words. "Don't ya get it? It's STORMSHADOW! That's who he's talkin' about! That gawd damn bastard.." His eyes flicked away and he stomped away a few steps then came back waving his arms violently. Courtney stood in the center of the mayhem, untouched. "He's near 'bout KILLED half the damned team before! He.. he's a MURDERER! Callin' the bastard 'Tommy'... his name ain't Tommy! His name is StormShadow.. or if'n ya gotta feel all familiar with him.. 'You fucktard murderin' bastard!"

CoverGirl looked around herself a little nervously. Just mentioning the Cobra ninja's name seemed like ill luck.. as if it would make him materialize out of the night. "Stalker served with him.. way back in that conflict. He and SnakeEyes both did.. you knew that."

BeachHead snorted loudly. "He's a murderer!"

She hazarded reaching out to put a hand onto his. "Wayne.. he still was a good man once. No evil person would have done all that stuff with Lonzo and SnakeEyes. Maybe he's a bad guy now, but Lonzo still remembers when he served with him in combat. Don't be angry because he remembers a different guy. He still thinks about Tommy.. not Stormshadow." She took his fingers in hers and pulled gently to

bring him closer. "Just calm down. Stormshadow isn't here.. so don't worry about it right now, okay?"

Instead of her words soothing him, he suddenly straightened. "What if he is? What if he's the one tryin' to kill me? Oh.. I know.. he said to Snakes that he wasn't workin' fer Cobra.. but he's a damned ninja and a murderer. We can't trust what he says." He peered around the dark parking lot.

Feeling a little bit like a hypocrite, considering her earlier fears, Courtney took his jaw and turned his face to hers. "Wayne. No one is trying to kill you. SnakeEyes assured Hawk that Stormshadow isn't working for Cobra and he should know better than anyone else. Right?"

Even though he was still visibly fuming, Beach nodded reluctantly. "Snakes knows that bastard better than anyone else." He stepped closer to her and put one hand on her waist. "I just can't trust him.. what if he's just got Snakes fooled? What if.."

She put a finger on his lips. "What if.. what if.. what if Snakes is right and Storm disappears for good? What if Cobra gets a hold of a nuclear weapon and we all die in the next ten minutes? What if I kiss you passionately right now and make things feel all better?" She saw the fleeting smile cross his face before he erased it with a scowl. "Oh... Wayne.. I do love you. There's nothing you can do about this situation.. so let it go."

He took in a deep breath. "Alright.." He bent slightly to take a second breath with his face in her hair. "Alright.. but.. if'n he shows up and lops off mah danged head, I'm gonna say 'I told ya so'. Just so you know." She couldn't hold back a soft chuckle. His arms slipped around her waist as he hugged her tightly to his chest. "I'm sorry... fer blowin' up and yellin' and stuff. Thank you."

Courtney tilted her face up to his. "You're welcome. I love you. It's okay. I don't expect you to suddenly become all sweetness and gooey love-struck boy, you know."

"Well that's a danged relief." He nuzzled her neck a minute. "You smell nice.."

"Beach.. we have to go back inside. People will be wondering if you're dismantling the entire parking lot out here." She listened to his sigh of disappointment as he stepped back. "Come on.. we'll go eat some dinner. Enjoy some company. It'll be fine." She took him by one large hand and tugged. "I'll sit next to you at dinner and everything."

He smiled at her. "Well, how could I refuse a invite like that?"

* * *

End chapter

Poor BeachHead.. realizing someone you intensely dislike is a part of your own elite group of soliders... good thing he wasn't in the Pitt and had SnakeEyes to side with Stalker. I hope this is still being fun to read!


	25. Distracted Dining

Chapter 25

Well, fight's over although I'll bet that's not the end of the noise that Beach will raise over the unwanted fact. Let's see if CoverGirl can manage to distract him from fussing.

Same disclaimer as always. I don't own them, only write for fun(and reviews!) not moneys! All hail Hasbro and Hama!

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Opening the door for her, he went back to the table and they seated themselves. Everyone ignored the scene that had occurred, chatting up the wary Ranger as if nothing had happened.

Riggins nodded at CoverGirl. "Hey, I heard a bout of RangerBall broke out earlier today. Cops had to show up and break it all up." His placid tone didn't show that one of the table had stormed out minutes earlier. She supposed that a bunch of Rangers on downtime blew off a lot of steam normally.

BeachHead, for his part, nodded and pointed at Stalker. "Yep.. we both got to play. Been a long time since I played any Ranger ball. Lonzo knocked a guy into a car so hard he left a huge dent in the door."

For his part, Stalker rolled his eyes. "I barely bumped him. Besides.. you ran yourself into a tree and knocked yourself cold."

"Ah wasn't out cold! Ah got up!" Beach's annoyance made Stalker laugh. "Anyway.. Ah was the only one takin' out the referee!" CoverGirl shook her head and sighed at him which made him suddenly grin. "And.. I had the prettiest cheerleader." His relaxation showed in the lessened accent.

Stalker glanced over at his wife and shook his head. "Oh no no.. I think I had the prettiest cheerleader." He smiled and caught the raised eyebrow that CoverGirl gave him and cleared his throat. "And.. uhhh.. did you see how Bobby dragged those three guys down the field? And I wasn't the one that knocked two clothes racks down in that store."

Beach shifted to sit back in his chair. "Well, I ain't the one what accidentally stepped on my teammate's head." He gave a smug look over at Stalker as he tossed the lightly veiled accusation.

Stalker was completely unmoved. "Who says it was accidental?" Courtney choked on her drink and he reached to pat her back helpfully. "Easy there... you can't tell me you haven't fantasized about doing that to him too."

While Beach glared, she sputtered and swallowed. "Well YEAH... but I wouldn't admit it." She began coughing again, waving a apologetic hand at her companion. "Sorry..."

He rolled his eyes. "Dang it woman... ya'll all got it in for me. I see how ya'll are. We'll see." He tipped his head back slightly as the food arrived. A heavily laden plate touched the table in front of him and his fork hit the food almost before it landed. Conversation naturally died for a few moments as everyone satisfied the worst of the hunger.

Stalker raised a fork to point at Riggins. "Lane.. you fighting tomorrow?" He stabbed a bite of potato up. "I'm going into the boxing ring, you're about my weight. Just want to know if I should get you drunk enough that you'll be hung over come time for me to climb into the ring with you." The sardonic laugh made Stalker grin. "Awww... as long as I don't have to go up against Squiggy, I'm pretty happy with my chances."

Beachhead's eyebrows went up. "I gotta fight him tomorrow. Not in the boxin' ring of course. Squiggy don't box. He brawls." He snagged the last bread roll from under Courtney's fingers as she reached for it in the basket in the center of the table. She glared at him and sighed and he grinned and offered it to her with a gallant flourish, only to dip his hand out of reach when she tried to pluck up the roll. "Sorry..." He handed it to her.

She pulled the tender bread apart to spread butter on it. "Ranger man, you're a trial at times." Splitting the roll she gave him half anyway. "I have every confidence that you'll win against this Squiggy. You're the best fighter ever." She smiled brilliantly at him as he shifted uncomfortably. "My big strong Ranger.. you'll beat everyone."

"Well.. dang. Squiggy is twice as danged beefy as me." Beach looked uncomfortable. "Ah dunno.."

Corporal Riggins rescued him by speaking up. "Oh.. BeachHead here will get smeared across the ring by Squiggy. We don't even bet against that lug. Nothing personal against you.. understand." He nodded at Beach. "I'm sure you're a fine fighter and really good.. but you know... it's Squiggy."

"Ah know.. Ah know..." Beach glanced at his girl anyway. "Ah'll do mah best.. but.. " He sighed as she wrapped an arm around his neck to hug him proudly.

"Oh Beach! You're too modest! You'll wipe the ring with him!" She continued to smile at him making him more uncomfortable. "I can't wait." She suddenly stopped smiling and looked at Lydia. "Hey, are you going to skip the fighting? I mean.. I hate that you'd be off by yourself again, I know you don't like seeing Lonzo in danger.."

Lydia stopped her with a loud laugh. "Oh honey, I don't miss it when my Lonzo is in a boxing ring! I'll be there, and I'm going to win some serious dough betting on my man too." She cuddled up to Stalker who nuzzled her neck affectionately. "Lonzo is one awesome boxer."

BeachHead cleared his throat which had exactly zero effect on the couple's actions. "Lonzo is a dang good fighter. I'd put my money on him too." When they started kissing, he rolled his eyes and plucked up the menu. "Courtney, you want some dessert?" She snickered at him but leaned on his shoulder to peer at the menu. He shifted it over slightly so she could read it. "They got blueberry pie."

"Well, I know what you'll be getting then." He grunted softly and she hummed. "I think the strawberry cheesecake sounds good. Look at those huge strawberries... mmm.." She wriggled on his arm a bit and felt the muscles tighten slightly. "I do love licking that sauce off a nice plump strawberry."

"Uhh.. yeah.." He shrugged slightly to dislodge her. "Might not look like the pictures, you know." He cleared his throat. "It looks good." He twisted to look for their waiter and waved him over to order the desserts. "I'd give them two a good jab, see if they want any too."

Stalker finally disengaged to look at the waiter. "No.. I think we're done.." Lydia elbowed his ribs and he grunted. "I think that I'm wrong about that."

"Damn right you're wrong, mister. I'm having that carrot cake." She raised an eyebrow as he smiled tolerantly at her. "And you're having the Black Forest cake." The waiter scribbled down the desserts and turned to the others at the table. "Don't argue Lonzo, I can't order two desserts."

"Yes ma'am." He leaned over slightly to speak softly next to her ear. "You know.. I do get to taste some of that dessert. It'll give me more energy for later." His smile widened as she blushed. "Maybe you'd better let me have both those desserts.."

She snickered and turned her face into his shoulder. Beach sighed and rolled his eyes over at Covergirl only to see her sighing happily at the sight. "Oh lawd..." He reached to smack the menu down on the table in front of the couple. "Come on now.. ya'll got plenty of time to go smootchin' in yer room. Ain't gotta go makin' no spectacle of yerselves in public."

CoverGirl jabbed him with a finger making him grunt in annoyance. "Shut up. They're so cute. Why can't you just be happy that they are all happy and in love with each other?"

"Maybe if I didn't feel like I should be paying $5.99 a minute to watch 'em, I'd appreciate the lovey-dovey bits better." He got jabbed again and rubbed his sore ribs, frowning at her. "Would ya stop with the smackin' me?" He grabbed at her hand when she tried again out of principle. "Stop it already! Good gawd woman.."

Courtney jerked at her hand, trying to free it from his loose grip. "Leggo! You are SUCH a pain! Don't you bite me! WAYNE! OW!" She smacked his head as he happily gnawed on her fingers. "Stop that!" He finally spat her fingers out and let her make faces and wipe them on her napkin. "I can't believe you.. sometimes I think it'd be easier to take Junkyard to dinner."

"Yeah, most likely." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "He'd eat less... and he'd probably sit up better at the table... he'd beg ya for leftovers... and ya know what else he'd do?"

She hummed suspiciously at him. "What's that?" She was poised to dodge if he came after her.

It was in vain as his arm snapped out to circle her neck and snatch her over to him. "He'd slobber all over yer face.." Suiting actions to words, he licked her cheek twice before she squirmed free.

"WAYNE!" Although she made an effort to look angry, it was hard as he looked so pleased with himself. "You wait.. payback is a bitch."

He beamed. "Darlin', yer welcome to lick me.. all night long." She reached to tug the collar of his shirt aside slightly. "What.. get offa me."

"You're blushing.. and it goes right down your neck." She wiggled her seat closer to smile at his face. "You are incapable of saying anything even the slightest bit dirty without blushing."

"Ah can so!" He felt his face heat up and cursed under his breath, struggling to remain stoic. "Just 'cause I'm not a crude hillbilly like yer always claimin'.. don't mean.. well.." He reached to adjust his collar back and shifted slightly away from her.

She scooted back up next to him. "Oh come on Waaaaayne.. say something naughty." Her lips moved to just under his ear. "You know.. it would really turn me on.. you saying naughty things to me.." Her voice practically purred into his ear. His breath hitched slightly and she raised her voice. "Oh look.. dessert." Pushing herself back to her seat's regular position, she smiled innocently at him as he looked at her out of dark eyes. "Look Wayne.. mmm... cheesecake."

"Yeah.." He licked his lip slightly. "Cheesecake.." His eyes flicked down over her body and then a deep breath in and out to relax himself. "Looks like the picture." He was under control. He was not lusting after the dang woman at the dinner table in public. It would be utterly ridiculous for him to show any effect she was having on him.. not that she was affecting him. He was the picture of self-control and oh holy god she was sucking the sauce off the spoon right there. Beach watched her tuck the spoon back into her mouth and slowly work her tongue over it as she drew it back out slowly.. oh so slowly..

As it left her wet lips, her tongue flicked out to wipe daintily over her upper lip and then she turned to gaze at him out those shining eyes half hidden under ridiculously long lashes.. shit.. she was talking to him again. How did that thing where you understood English work again?

"Hunh?" He failed to stop himself from smacking his palm into his face at his idiotic reply. Her soft laugh didn't make him feel any better and he split his fingers apart to peer at her as she was waiting patiently for him to collect himself. "Sorry.. what?"

She smiled at him. "I was asking if you'd like a taste." He stared at her for a second before nodding slightly. That's when she held up the spoon and he barely stopped himself from smacking himself again. "Whole bite.. just because I love ya, Ranger man."

"Thanks." He took the spoonful of cheesecake and rolled it around his mouth for a moment before swallowing. "That's not half bad." He tried to think of something witty and suggestive to shoot back at her with, failed and settled for offering her a bite of his pie instead.

"Sharing your pie?" Stalker's amused voice cued Beach that other people did still exist in the world, and more specifically in the restaurant. "Now I know it's true looooove." Lydia elbowed him hard. "Sorry... but he's been ragging on us being all loving.."

Lydia pointed a finger at her husband's nose. "You just leave BeachHead alone." He kissed her fingertip and she smiled. "Actually I don't think you're exactly distracting him right now..." Stalker glanced over and then groaned, shaking his head and laughing softly. "Yeah.. I'm thinking it would take a nuclear bomb to catch his attention."

BeachHead was actually quite aware that Lydia was talking.. he suspected it might have been talking involving him.. he was however, not all that focused on much more than the strawberry that was being thoroughly molested by his grease monkey of a girlfriend. He could feel himself growing ever more aroused as her tongue wrapped around the chocolate and sauce covered piece of fruit, then she slid it mostly into her mouth, lips closing on it delicately. As she sucked gently, she drew the berry back out slowly and he let out a soft sigh. He knew it was a mistake as soon as her eyebrow raised up and her bright eyes filled with mischief.

"What's wrong Ranger man?" She suddenly bit into the fruit and set the stem bit aside. "Mmmmm.. so tasty." As she licked her fingers one by one, she watched him from sultry eyes and he swallowed carefully. "How's the pie?"

"It's... really good." He glanced down at the plate and tried not to roll his eyes. The only bite missing was the one she'd taken. Picking up his fork he began eating his dessert and ignored her. He felt the heat of his skin blushing and cursed inside his head. Stalker and his friends exchanged a few snickers and then turned the conversation back to the fighting competition the next day. Courtney took pity on him and simply joined into the animated talk of who would be engaging which fighter and managed to draw him in when she began making wagers on his behalf.

"Whoa.. don't go puttin' me in no boxin' rings. Ain't happenin'. Nuh uh." Beach was kissed on the cheek soundly as she protested but shook his head. "Nope.. Lonzo can do the boxin' stuff. Leave me at the regular combatives."

By the time they arrived back at the hotel, even Lydia and Courtney's seemingly boundless energy was flagging. Beach got out of the car and stretched himself carefully, stiff muscles protesting. Even without his usual duties doing the PT training of the rest of the team, the day's activities made him feel like he'd been through a battle. Lydia hung on Stalker's shoulder as they walked to their room.

"Sergeant major Sneeden?" The hotel desk clerk was standing on the walkway. "Message was delivered for you." He handed over a envelope and nodded to Courtney politely before trotting back up towards the offices.

She peered at the paper as he slipped his room key through the lock. "What message?"

"I'unno.. let's go inside where there's some light to see." He held the door for her and gave a wave in reply to Stalker's shouted 'good night'. Flipping the locks into place, he glanced at Courtney as she peeled off the jacket to toss aside. Pulling out a folded paper, Beach read it over and his eyes narrowed.

Courtney pulled her hair loose and walked over to peer at the page he held. "That doesn't seem to make sense.." Looking at the bottom of the page she suddenly pointed. "It's from Sergeant Green! Oh, I bet that's code right? Some super secret Ranger code.."

He snorted at her. "Naw.. just Sarge's shorthand." He held up the note for her to look at.

"_Chkd issue, Paris chk out no 2, retn keys to 1, Pvt rpted Paris retn keys 4 drvr. No proof, keep QT. Sgt."_

She read it over twice and then took a breath. "I assume he was checking into a 'number two truck' you thought tried to run over you? Who's Paris and why is she checking things out for you?" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

He raised an eyebrow make in imitation. "Oh.. so you don't trust me? I see.." He relented before she could get annoyed. "Amore's first name is Paris. The number two means a 'deuce'. It says he didn't check out any deuce trucks but he returned the keys to one. Then he says it's not proof.. but why would he have had the keys if he wasn't drivin' one of the deuces?" He set the envelope aside on the dresser.

"Wait... Amore's first name.. is Paris?" She rolled her eyes.

Beach snorted at her. "Yeah, trust me, we done made all the jokes. I know he was drivin' a truck. He don't have to check one out to get in and drive it."

Courtney sighed. "Doesn't the note say that he turned the keys in FOR the driver? And that there's no proof? Wouldn't Green know?" She stepped up closely and put a hand on his cheek. "Trust your friend. He is looking out for you, I doubt he'd cover for a crazy warrant officer."

He sighed, giving up in the face of even CoverGirl not believing. "I'm sure yer right." He started pulling off clothing and sat on the one bed to unlace his boots. He jumped when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Whoa... "

Courtney squeezed anyway. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Wayne, it's not that I'm saying you're lying. I just don't think someone is actually trying to kill you here at Benning. I know that being paranoid has saved your life more than once though, okay?" She kissed his temple. "So don't stop being wary about everything." Turning loose she stood and began stripping off clothing, which he watched from his seated position with a great deal of appreciation. When she scooped up her night clothes to walk into the bath he sighed and got up to find his sleep pants.

There was a rustling outside of the door and BeachHead frowned. Scooping up the room key, he picked up his handgun and flipped the locks. "Be right back.." he called back to the bath. Opening the door, he checked the immediate area and saw one of Stalker's Ranger friends bent over at his doorway. "What are ya doin'?"

The Ranger jumped and whirled. "Huh? Sorry.. nothing." He stepped sideways to block Beach's view.

Beach cleared his weapon and then tilted his head to look at his friend's door. "Really? Looks to me like yer puttin' a tripwire up on my friend's door." The guy looked nervous. "Looks like it's too high up to trip him too. Ankle height is always better." He nodded genteelly and returned to the room.

As he stepped back into the room, Courtney was sliding under the blankets. "Everything okay?"

"All's fine." He put the gun in the bedside table and stretched, making his spine crackle as the vertebrae popped into place. "You look tired, Barbiedoll."

"I am tired.. long day." She sighed sleepily and he watched her yawning widely.

"You know..." He hesitated, trying for a moment to figure out whether he was about to insult her or start a squabble. ".. we uhh.. we ain't gotta do nothin'.. if yer tired, I mean." She propped herself up on her elbow and he hurried to add. "Not that I don't want to... I do.. but..." He swallowed nervously. "But it ain't all about havin' sex. If yer tired or not in the mood, I ain't gonna be fussin' over it at ya."

Her smile reassured him. "Wayne, that's adorable and gallant and gentlemanly of you." She blinked slowly. "Now bring your fine Ranger ass to bed. I'm cold and I need my hairy portable heater." She laid back and lifted the blankets.

"Oh that's grand.. I'm being nice and you tell me I'm just a handy heat source." He flicked off the lights and crawled into the bed, tugging the covers over them both. She snuggled herself up to his chest, laying her head onto it and wrapping an arm around his ribs. "Am I puttin' out enough heat or should I go catch a fever for ya?"

"Shut up Wayne." Her hand stroked over his chest, tracing the heavy muscles and playing with the curly chest hair. "Are you feeling okay? You've had a hard day." He jerked slightly as she found one of the bruises on his side. "Sore?"

"Yeah maybe a little." He shifted himself around to lie on his side to face her, letting his hand roam over her curves gently. "You know how beautiful you are... do you understand how desirable it is to know yer as smart and as capable as you are gorgeous?"

"Wayne..." She smiled and kissed him softly. "Such sweet words.." Her wriggling around found her body settled in the curve of his, her back against his chest as she spooned up. "So warm..." She scooted her rear end into him and her squirming made him inhale sharply. "Hmmm... sooo good. You don't feel like you're not interested in anything." She swirled her hips again.

Beach inhaled and let out a long breath, his hand stroking along her body. "I didn't say I weren't interested... I just said I'd respect ya if ya said no." He nuzzled into her hair, his breath hot along the nape of her neck. "Do you wanna say 'no'?"

Courtney shivered before pressing back harder. "Oh I'm not saying 'no'.. not saying 'no' at all." She could feel his smile as his lips touched the side of her neck. "That feels so good."

"You feel good... I want to feel you all over..." He proceeded to do just that.

* * *

End Chapter

I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more next week, Same Ranger Time! Same Ranger Channel!


	26. ManToMan Chat

Sorry for the slight delay in posting. Life happens. This chapter starts with the morning Ranger panty run.

Chapter 26

BeachHead struggled to keep his expression neutral while he ran in formation with the rest of the group of Rangers. The number of men was about the same while the individuals had changed somewhat. Some Rangers managed to overindulge and weren't seen until right before a competition began, looking haggard with bloodshot eyes. He and Stalker were among a small number that seemed perky and energetic each morning. The damp chill as they began each run felt invigorating even as his body ached from the minor damage from his various mishaps during the week so far.

Beach glanced over at his teammate as they ran. Stalker sported a scrape on his cheekbone and Beach had needed to talk fast to convince him that it wasn't the Sergeant major that was to blame for the trip wire that had sent him tumbling to the paved walkway. He'd finally told the irate Ranger that if he'd wanted to play pranks, he'd wait and do it back home, instead of doing it somewhere that Stalker would have carte blanche to retaliate. Stalker still looked grumpy but now he was glaring at various Rangers he knew. There were a few smug looks in response, but nothing that Stalker could pin down as a definite culprit.

His thoughts drifted back to the night before and he felt his face relax into a smile. He cleared his throat and frowned as Stalker grinned at him. His expression made it clear that teasing on the subject would be a 'bad idea'.

"Sooo, got lucky last night, did you?" Stalker's grin widened as Beach heaved out a resigned sigh. "You know.. and understand, I don't want you to get all hard-assed over it.. but she's good for you. You look more relaxed and.. well... almost happy."

"I'm always happy.. don't I always look happy?" Beach ignored the snort and kept the steady pace, staring ahead. "Ain't nothin' to talk about."

There was silence for just long enough to make Beach think the subject had been dropped. Then Stalker hummed softly. "Soooo.." He glanced over. "What are you going to do when we all get back to the Pitt?" He watched Beach turn red. "No not.. not about THAT.. I mean.. about in general with her."

"Ah dunno whut yer talkin' about." Beach wanted to speed up and leave the man behind.. formation running meant he couldn't move out of position and he swallowed. "It'll be fine.. ain't nuthin' to worry over."

"Oh.. there's plenty to worry over. What do you expect when the week is over? You do realize she's coming back to the Pitt with you, right? She's going to be there like always and she doesn't consider this to be a fling while on vacation. She's going to want to continue the relationship and if you think you can ignore her or just act like none of this week happened, you're going to be the center of ground zero for a massive explosion." Stalker kept his voice low, but plenty loud enough that Beach could not ignore it. He saw the larger Ranger twitch several times as he spoke. "You can't just think you'll dump that woman when the week is done."

"Ah ain't dumpin' no one." Beachhead seethed for a moment. "That's what ya think, ain't it? Ya think Ah just wanted to use her damned body and toss her aside when it's inconvenient. Well... that's good of ya. Nice to know Ah'm such a low dog to go and fuck some girl and lead her on." His glare blazed over at Stalker who almost stumbled. "Thanks. Appreciate that."

The run came to an end at just that moment and the drill dismissed them. Stalker tried to step up to BeachHead but was ignored. "Beach.. I didn't.."

Instead of listening, the burly Sergeant major took off at a jog. He waved off the instructor as he passed by him. "Takin' another couple miles.." As soon as he was clear of the group, he sped up into a ground eating lope to leave everything behind.

Stalker appeared next to him, easily pacing alongside. "Beach.. you can't outrun the issue.. any more than you can outrun me." He watched Beach's face go stony. "Look... I didn't mean to assume you'd dump Courtney.. but you have to admit, you're not the most.. astute at knowing about what women expect."

BeachHead didn't respond, speeding up slightly before slowing back to his normal pace as he realized Stalker was the faster of them. His eyes fixed ahead of them as he continued to run along the sidewalk, the sun finally beginning to creep up over the buildings.

Stalker tried again. "Beach.. dude. You have to think about what you'll do. You can't just leave it until we're back and decide to wing it. You really suck at winging it with her." He drew in several breaths. He was faster but he didn't have the sheer endurance. His legs were already burning with fatigue. "Are you going to keep up the dating? Are you going to try to just go back to being casual? Have you talked to her about any of it?"

Suddenly Beach stopped and turned to him. "No. Okay? No. I don't know what I'm gonna do.. I don't know what she expects... I don't know how to talk to her about it. And I don't know how to deal with any of it." The frank admission took Stalker by surprise. "Happy? I don't know what the hell I'm doin'... you wanna hear me admit it? There. Do I need to say it louder?" Beach tilted his head back to shout. "AH DUNNO WHUT AH'M DOIN'!" Several nearby personnel eyed them warily and moved away at a faster pace. His eyes glinted in the growing sunlight. "There. Anything else?"

Stalker held up a hand. "I'm not ragging on you. I just want to help." He saw the wary look cross the lined face. "I only want to help.. really."

BeachHead's tone showed his suspicion. "Why would you want to help me?"

"Why... I don't know. Because you're my teammate? Because you really need some help? Because you're a friend and I really hate visiting friends in the infirmary when their rightfully angry girlfriends brain them with pieces of heavy equipment? And you know she will." Stalker puffed out an exasperated breath. "It's not exactly a secret that you are all but clueless when it comes to dating. Sorry... but it's true. You gave her a cactus for god's sake."

Beach frowned. "It was a plant.. not a flower. She don't like flowers."

"And you told her she was 'prickly' just like it." Stalker raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you or did you not tell the woman that she'd gained 'plenty of weight' since her modeling days?"

Beach managed to look sulky and looked down at his hands. "That's not fair! I meant it in a GOOD way!" He got quiet a minute. "Soo... what should I do?"

"First... you gotta decide what you expect out of her. Then you'll have to decide if she'll want the same goal." Stalker nodded decisively. "If you want this to work, after we all get back, it's going to take work."

"How's it supposed to work? We ain't even rightly supposed to be datin' and neither of us can opt out of the command line without leavin' Joe!" Beach felt himself growing agitated as he finally faced the issue that had been dwelling on his mind ever since before the trip had begun.

Stalker smiled in a smug manner. "Oh please. If there's one place that the frat rule is a moot point, it's GI Joe. It's not like you'll be the only couple in the Pitt."

Beach rolled his eyes. "Yeah.. but I'm no ninja master to be valued over any sort of rule breakin'. I'm nothin' more than a warm body to yell all of ya'll into PT and a Ranger to shoot at stuff what Hawk don't have time to shoot himself. I can be replaced if Hawk finds out."

His teammate actually laughed at him. "Really? Hawk is going to replace the Ranger that he pried out of the Fort Benning commander's hands? Hand-picked over all the other men he could have chosen.. the one person who never shirks his duty, no matter how tired, no matter how distasteful the duty might be? Please. Plus, you don't seriously think that Hawk doesn't realize you and Courtney are dating, right? He knows. He knows everything that happens. He just ignores things he doesn't need to deal with. He's never said anything about Snakes and Scarlett, plus he's never said word one against Flint and Jaye.. right?"

"Well.. no.. but.." Beach was interrupted.

"And I know you're not going to tell me that you and Courtney can't be at least as discrete as Flint and Jaye. Technically the rank gap between them means they _really_ shouldn't be dating, but that's never stopped those two."

"Yeah.. but.." Again Beach barely got a word out before his fellow Ranger started in again.

"So you're going to keep dating her, right? And that means that when you get back to base, you'll have to walk a really thin line of still being Sergeant major while you have to be Wayne for her too. It's not like you can be her lover while you're training.. or worse, on the battlefield, trying to keep her on the sidelines rather than where she'll do the most good in battle."

Beach finally broke in. "Why the hell would I sideline the woman? She's our best driver." He ducked his head. "I get it.. I do. I don't like feeling like I don't have any choice. But I really don't. Courtney... she's... she... I mean.." His eyes glazed slightly as he stared at the rapidly blueing sky.

"I know." Stalker reached out to pat him on the shoulder. "Man.. I know. There's nothing you can do now. She's got you.. not by the balls.. but by your heartstrings. Yeah yeah.. sounds sappy.. but if it was just a set of tits, you could drop her like a hot potato. You've got it bad, and that means you better go on and plan with that in mind. Sure.. you can kick and fight and struggle.. but unless you just like being miserable, you'll end up by her side in the end. So give in now."

BeachHead grinned slightly. "Well, I don't usually back down from no fights, no matter how long the odds is on me... but I don't wanna win this one. I want to stand with her." He took a long deep breath in and let it out slowly. "So... now what? Do I gotta go talk over all this stuff with her.. or does she already know all this kinda stuff?"

Stalker popped his arm sharply. "She knows.. but you're going to tell her anyway. Women like to talk these things out so they know you're on the right page with them. Plus.. this way you'll make brownie points by talking and planning and being sensitive and caring. You always want a good positive supply of brownie points. Get them whenever and however you can at every opportunity."

Beach looked slightly puzzled. "Brownie points? What the hell would I need that for with her? We're already datin'."

Stalker waved for them to head back towards the hotel. "Sex... Beach... sex. That's why."

"Oh.. well... " Beach smirked as he broke into a run with Stalker pacing him. "Long as there's a GOOD reason..."

End Chapter

Well good thing Stalker cares enough to have a man-to-man talk with Beach. Now how will the talk with GoverGirl go?


	27. ManToGal chat

And so it is time for Beach to have a conversation with Courtney. Shouldn't be too hard, didn't Stalker go over stuff with him? Shouldn't Beach be capable of talking something over with her without screwing it up? Yeah.. I don't think so either...

Chapter 27

When Beach arrived back at the hotel, Courtney had crawled back into the warm covers in bed. He smiled as he passed through to the bathroom, cleaning up quickly and coming back out to bend over to peer at her sleeping face from inches away. He continued to stare at her eyelids, watching the involuntary twitches until she grunted irritably.

"Stop it." Twisting herself around under the covers, she drew in a deep breath to sigh it back out. "I dun wanna get up yet.."

Sighing himself, Beach flopped over onto the bed deliberately, making her bounce slightly and grumble under her breath. "You were up already, unless some other tank jockey was hooting about my ass looking fine as frog hair this mornin' on my run." She grunted in a noncommittal manner and he scooted over to rummage under the blankets until he found skin. Slipping underneath, he settled himself along her sleepy form and indulged in a cuddle with her. She made a soft pleased noise and he kissed her shoulder. "You do need to understand that ain't nuthin' gonna change at the Pitt. I don't want you getting back to base and thinkin' you can skate by on PT and such, without getting reamed over it." She twisted around to glare at him and he smiled fondly and tried to give her a kiss.

She dodged the attempt and pushed at his chest slightly. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well.. you know." Scrunching into the covers, BeachHead enjoyed the luxurious warmth and sloth of going back to bed instead of starting work. He was on a vacation technically.. and the fighting didn't start until ten.. "I don't want to have to put you on punishment duty when we get back because you figured since we.. you know.. that now you could just get away with whatever you want." Ignoring the way her body stiffened up, he draped an arm over her waist. "I can't let you slack off, even if you'd like to."

His lazy smile disappeared when her foot came up to his stomach and shoved him off the bed. The thump when he hit the floor made him grunt in pain. "Dammit woman!" Sitting up, he barely ducked out of the way of the right hook she swung at his nose. "Don't you punch me!" He caught the second punch and held her wrist snugly as she struggled. He didn't have enough leverage to pull her off the bed and she braced herself on her knees at the edge of the bed and pulled back, finally putting her foot on his chest to push him away.

"You bastard!" He ducked but she was climbing off the far side of the bed instead. "When have I ever asked you for a favor just because we were dating?"

Beach started to his feet then scrambled over the bed as she rounded the end coming after him. "Woman! Back off!" She settled for throwing one of the pillows at him which he caught. "What is wrong with you? And you did ask for favors! You wanted me to go soft on you durin' PT!"

"I did not!" CoverGirl came back around to stand at the foot of the bed and he got ready to scramble over one of the two beds if she started for him. "You fucking prick! I never asked you to let me off PT!"

"Yes ya did! Ya asked on that Thursday! Said if I had a heart I'd let ya off! That ain't fair that ya put that on me like that!" His accent thickened as his anger began to boil up. As always, he didn't notice. "Ain't fair at all fer ya to go askin' me to do no favors just on accounta we're datin'!"

"You.. I asked because I had the FLU! Lifeline even told you after breakfast that he had to give me something for the fever and everything! I wasn't FAKING IT!" CoverGirl watched his eyes narrow. "I haven't ever asked you of anything I wouldn't ask of Sergeant Slaughter or Stalker or anyone else! I had a damn fever of over a hundred and two degrees and I didn't want to damn well fall out on the course!"

He shifted his weight foot to foot. "Well.. I didn't know.."

"You didn't listen!"

"Okay.. I didn't listen." Beach looked away. "I just.. I've been on edge worryin' about what to do about... what if.. you know." Forgetting about whether she would still try to jump him, he sat down on the second bed. "I'm worried that if I do say you can get off PT even when you got a good excuse.. that they'll start sayin' it's just cause I want.. you know." He sighed. "I guess I don't know how to deal with it.."

Courtney came to sit next to him. "Well.. first, you don't piss me off by trying to say I'm taking advantage of the relationship so I won't kill you before you can explain." He grunted at that. "Secondly, you deal with it the same way you deal with anyone complaining of favoritism to you. Has anyone ever accused you of letting Lifeline off easy because you two are friends?"

"Hell no!" He shut up for a second. "But this's different.. I ain't sleepin' with Lifeline." Suddenly he put a hand over his eyes. "Shut up.. shut up... don't say.."

She grinned. "Well, I'd hope you aren't.. I mean.. he IS cute.. and he's sweet.. I could see how you'd think.."

He glared at her. "What part of 'shut up' is difficult fer ya? Just don't go there..."

"Sorry, I won't pick on your boyfriend.."

"Oh gawd.. woman.. stop it!"

"I don't want to start some lover's quarrel later and then you'll break up and then it'll be him bringing you flowers..." She watched him bend over and put his hands over his ears. "Poor Wayne.. I'm sorry.. I'll stop." He sat up to give her a long-suffering look of exasperation. "So anyway... if no one accuses you of favoring Lifeline, why should they say you favor me? And if someone is stupid enough, why should you respond any differently than you would if they asked about a friend instead? Or if you give LadyJaye an easier time just because she's little? Or any other excuse?"

"Cause... cause you're my girlfriend! It's different!" He seemed frustrated that she couldn't grasp the enormity of the problem. "We ain't even supposed to BE datin'."

"Wayne. Why won't you let me skate by?" She changed tactics suddenly and watched him go confused for a moment. "If I blinked my big pretty eyes and said I was tired and didn't want to run the course?"

"Hell no, you'll be runnin' the damn thing twice. If I love you why would I want you to slack on your trainin' and put yourself in more danger than everyone else?" The annoyed glare made her smile. "What are you smilin' about, Princess? You think I won't work you ten times as hard?"

"No. I know you will. And you'll do it cause you love me and I'll know every time you yell for me to do better, it's because you're worried about me.. and it'll be cute and adorable." His frown deepened. "And I know it'll make you crazy knowing that the more you yell, the cuter I'll think it is."

"Gawd dammit!" Beach sputtered and clenched his jaw. "That's playin' dirty dammit! How can I yell to push ya harder if'n yer gonna think it's 'adorable' the whole danged time?"

She laid her head onto his chest to blink up at him. "Awww Wayne.. you're doing it right now already!"

"Girl! Stop that right now or you'll be on this damned floor doin' push-ups 'til it ain't funny no more." The growl in his voice made her sit up and smile. "Ah dang well mean it! Don't ya push me!"

"I loooove you Wayne." She relented. "I do love you. And I still will hate getting up early." That pacified him a little. "Besides, everyone on the Joe team knows that you push us because you don't want anyone to not be able in the field." Reaching out, she ran her fingers through his chest hair. "I won't ask you to slack off on me just because we're dating and you should have already known that. I haven't been asking you for favors, have I? I've even been sending vacation requests and requisitions through Flint to avoid having to ask you for anything even if it's routine. I know it's hard and it's not going to be simple to work around everything.. but I think it's worth the extra work.." Pausing, she let out a soft breath. "You think it's worth working it out... right?"

Beach sighed heavily and rested his chin on her head gently. "It's worth whatever I gotta do. Gawd damn me... it is." He huffed a few times. "You're gonna make me gray a'fore my time, gal."

"It's a hobby." Courtney looked at him. "Besides, I'm sure Ace has a pool on how long before you get the first gray hair... you kind of make it difficult when you wear that mask all the time so people can't see your hair." Reaching up she ruffled it up for him, making it messier than normal.

He pulled back and captured her hand to stop her. "How's he supposed to tell a scar gray hair from a stress related gray hair?" She made a face and he grunted at that. "I thought so. Makin' up stuff again. You'll go to hell fer lyin' you know.."

"Oh? So killing is okay.. but fibbing isn't?" Courtney twisted around to lay across his lap. "I'll take it.. you are my love and sweetie and all pretty and sexy and I'll scratch out Lifeline's eyes if he tries to take you away from me!" She thumped onto the floor with an outraged squawk as he pushed her off his lap. "Beach!"

"What?" He was already up and rummaging about to find fatigue pants. "I'm gettin' dressed.. if'n all I gotta look forward to here is gettin' harassed, I can go get breakfast instead." He stopped as she stepped up behind him and her hands slid around his waist and up over his chest. Beach straightened up as they rubbed slow circles lower and lower to dip under the edge of his shorts.

"Orrr... you could come back to bed and we could snuggle up together and relax a while. You have hours until time for your fighting..." Her fingers busied themselves doing things that made him groan deeply. "I'm certain that we could occupy some of that time rather... wantonly... if you're interested?"

Beach let his eyes close lazily halfway and sighed happily. "Oh yeah... can do that... definitely."

* * *

End Chapter

Well at least they enjoy the making up part of fighting. Honestly, I think they enjoy the fighting part too.


	28. Ranger Combatives

Author's Note: Longer chapter. I know the last two were mainly talky bits. This is fighting bits. Enjoy!

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Chapter 28

CoverGirl wore a smug smile as she stood next to Beach in the fighting arena. She crossed her arms and assessed the next fighter that Beach was slated to go into the ring with. "He's pretty big. I bet you can take him though Beach.. you're tough and mean."

He grunted dismissively. "Ah ain't the best fighter in any ring. Hope you ain't been puttin' money on me." His head came up when the referee called his name. "Here.." He climbed up into the ring and finished wrapping his knuckles and wrist. Tilting his head to the left, he let his neck crunch and straightened up to bounce on the balls of his feet, mentally reminding himself over and over that it was competition.

His opponent leaned on the ropes to leer at Courtney. "Hey baby.. tell you what.. I'll double whatever Sneeden is paying you. Gotta be better than having to spend the time with him or on the streets.. whatcha say?"

Her face went dark with embarrassed anger and she stepped back, crossing her arms across her chest to look away. Beach didn't waste any time with stepping up to push the man sideways with his chest, getting into his face to snarl. "Didja jus' insult mah gal? Right in fronta me?" The man stepped back and their referee separated them.

The short burly referee snapped his fingers under BeachHead's nose. "Keep the fighting between bells." He gave Beach a light push back towards his corner while the other stepped back on his own. "You remember you're still representing the Rangers here. Respect your fellow soldiers, in or out of the ring."

Both of them nodded. "Yes'sir." "Sir." The younger fighter rolled his shoulders and crouched while Beach set his jaw and hunched just a little. CoverGirl saw the anger hiding behind his eyes and held her breath hoping he wasn't about to do something to get booted out of the ring or let his emotions trip him up in the fight.

The signal to begin almost seemed to unleash BeachHead as he surged right for his bigger opponent, surprising him into freezing for just a single instant. That was his complete undoing. Beach slammed into him and took him off his feet and over onto his face. Somehow his arms ended up twisted around into painfully unnatural positions that Courtney recognized as one of SnakeEyes' favorite offensive holds.

The young Ranger's feet kicked ineffectively as he tried to struggle free. Beach leaned over his back, pinning him and twisting his arms even further. As he brought his face down close to his ear, Beach hissed angrily. "Talk to mah gal that way again, Ah'll rip yer damned arm off and beat ya to death with yer own severed limb... got me?"

"Unnngh..." One foot beat a tattoo on the mat and the referee smacked the canvas sharply and put a hand on Beach's shoulder. After another bare second, Beachhead released him and stood up. He tilted his head to crack his neck bones again, looking down as the losing fighter got shakily to his feet.

The referee took Beach's wrist to raise it. "Winner Sneeden.." He motioned both of them apart and out of the roped off ring. His voice sounded bored as he addressed both of them. "I hear of you continuing any disagreements outside the ring, I'll disqualify you both from the fighting.. on record."

Beachhead frowned but nodded respectfully. He stepped down next to his worried looking girlfriend. She put a hand on his chest. "Are you okay? Don't let him bother you, he was probably just smack talking to get you all riled up."

"Yeah well.. he'd better stick to smack talkin' me insteada botherin' you." His glower suddenly deepened and he stepped around her to confront the same fighter as he walked up through the crowd. "What the hell do you want?"

Holding up his hands, the man gave a tight smile at him. "Hey easy there Bullwinkle... just wanted to apologize.. I shouldn't have said that to the lady. Chalk it up to too much testosterone and stupidity this morning, okay?" He held out a hand to BeachHead who still frowned and stepped aside.

"Tell her.. you insulted her, not me." His expression said the last thing he wanted to do was accept the apology much less allow the man to talk to Courtney again.

She glanced warningly at Beach. "Accepted of course." Shaking his hand quickly, she stepped back to BeachHead's side, just slightly behind him. Not that she feared anything the guy would do of course. It was only so Beach would stop the soft rumble she could hear deep in his chest. "Just all worked up with all the fighting.. " A hand came to rest on Beach's arm and she felt him relax just slightly. "We need to find out when the next bout is..." A slight tug. "Come on.. we'll go find out."

One last glare and Beach moved away with her. "If he goes and gives you any trouble..."

She interrupted him tartly. "He won't. Just let it go." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Thanks for twisting his arms like spaghetti, honey. That was sweet."

He puffed up a little and looked smug. "Well.. ain't like I was beatin' him up for you or nothin'." Casting a glance over at her, he almost smiled before catching himself. "He did go down like a sack of taters though."

Courtney laughed and nodded. "Yes, yes he did." She stepped out of the way to let him check with the Ranger in charge of the match ups. Peering around, she saw Benny climbing up to the ring off to the left and tugged at Beach's arm. "Benny's about to fight.. I'm going to go watch!" Winding through the people, she got close to the front of the ring to cheer at him. "GO BENNY!"

He twisted around to grin at her. "Hey.. it's the mech-head. How's Ditch doing?"

"He won the last one." She smiled at him as he nodded. The crowd pressed in on her for a moment and she jostled a couple young men to get her personal space back. Their mumbled apologies made her shake her head as they continued on without a glance. "You?"

"I'm holding my own so far." He looked at his opponent as he was fussed at. "Sorry.. you know how it is.. pretty girls just always hollering at me." He gave her a wink before turning his attention to the referee and the other Ranger.

Covergirl stepped aside slightly as Beach appeared next to her. "Benny seems like he's doing well." She leaned over against his side a bit, disappointed slightly when he didn't put an arm around her. "When's your next fight?"

He grunted slightly. "About fifteen minutes.. " Glancing down at her for a second, he looked back at the bout in the ring as Benny struggled to get a decent punch in on his opponent's ribs. "I'm fightin' Squiggy next... "

"You can take him!" She beamed and hugged him, sighing when he tugged free. "I believe in you."

"Thanks, but.." He paused. "Never mind.." Hugging her briefly, he gave up. "Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence." He watched Benny go down in a tight full Nelson hold. "Come on Benny.. hook his leg!" Instead the plucky small Ranger was pinned facedown and finally slapped the canvas to signal the referee. "Aww dang. Good try Benny!"

Completely unaffected by his loss, Benny bounced to his feet and gave a nod to his opponent as he left the ring. "Wow.. whew... he was faster than I thought. Hey there sweetheart.. looking lovely as ever." Benny gave Courtney a smile then took a quick punch to Beach's stomach which he barely grunted at. "Hey fat boy.. did you sit on your opponent until he cried for mercy?"

"Har har. Yer a comedian." Beach sighed as his name was called. "Benny, ya wanna hang out with Cinderella here? Guy was givin' her a hard time earlier." He peered around briefly.

She thumped him soundly with a fist. "He didn't mean anything by it. AND he came over and apologized. I told you to drop it." Courtney's stance with her hands on those narrow hips as she glared up at him said clearly that she didn't need any type of guardian and didn't appreciate the idea.

His lip twitched slightly as he looked down at her. Then he turned to the shorter Ranger. "So.. can ya keep an eye on her?" He caught her wrist as she tried to punch his chest again and held her arm as she cursed and kicked at him. "Ow... come on Benny.. I gotta get in the ring here.."

"Sure thing Ditch. No need to twist my arm to hang out with a gorgeous woman.. even if she is violent." He pretended to dodge as she turned to glare at him. "Hey hey.. don't punch at me.. I might just hit back!" Then he pretended to dodge away from BeachHead who glared at him. "I'm kidding! Jeeeeesus Ditch.. calm down."

"Stop callin' me Ditch." Beach fended off another punch by swatting aside his friend's arm. "If'n ya hit her, she'd probably wipe the deck with ya.. embarrass the Rangers as a unit by a girl beatin' one of us up." Leaving Courtney with a grinning Benny, he moved to the ring. He could hear Benny joking with her and relaxed knowing the smaller guy would keep her entertained and out of trouble.

Once in the ring, he stretched and worked his arms, watching Squiggy across the ring. Squiggy touched up a bit of tape on his hand and smiled across at him easily. Beach would like to be able to say he was being smug or obnoxious.. overconfident.. anything. But it was just the relaxed look of a supremely confident and capable fighter who was about to squash him like a bug. He hoped he could avoid being pinned too quickly.

CoverGirl watched Squiggy swinging his arms in a relaxed manner, stretching the well defined muscles casually. He easily outweighed BeachHead by a few pounds, covered as he was by slabs of muscle. He had that easy unworried manner that smacked of confidence. Squiggy looked as if he was about to calmly walk over and take out her Ranger without breathing hard and that made her sense of pride prickle. She leaned to speak quietly to Benny. "Can I put a ten spot on my man?"

The shorter Ranger raised his eyebrows. "On Sneeden? Against Squiggy? If you really want to give away your money." He took her cash anyway, shrugging. "Your money to lose. You owe me some back considering how much you took at the shooting competition." He shifted to block a stranger from walking backwards into her. The fighting crowds were growing thicker as the rounds got going.

She watched the two in the ring intently. As soon as they started, BeachHead was throwing himself into the fight. She winced as they exchanged a flurry of blows, punches landing on each of them before Beach grabbed for a leg to try a quick throw. He caught that knee in his chest instead and staggered back only two steps before Squiggy wrapped an arm around his neck. Completely due to SnakeEyes' training he twisted out of the hold before it could tighten properly, turning it to a clumsy arm throw over his shoulder. Even though the bigger Ranger hit the canvas, he was rolling to his feet before Beach could take advantage.

Squiggy grabbed for Beach and cursed softly as Beach slipped under his arms to wrap both of his own around the larger man's waist. They grappled in the center of the ring, each struggling to gain some leverage. This time Squiggy got a decent hold to jerk Beach almost off his feet. Grabbing him from above, he snaked an arm around his throat and clamped a powerful forearm down. Beach gasped in a last breath before his airway was closed almost completely off. He grabbed at the thick wrist, trying to force the hold to loosen. Squiggy gave him a shake to disorient him then kicked into the back of his knees to bring him down.

Beach landed hard on his knees, using the jarring force to get a strangled breath in before Squiggy could clamp down again. The large Ranger was still standing behind and over him, in a prime position to simply choke him down. He felt him lean more weight onto his back to bring his face down close to Beach's.

Squiggy whispered to him in an even tone. "Tap out... come on.. I don't want to have to make you pass out and piss yourself old man.."

Despite the lack of malice in the tone, the idea that any fighter would consider him an old man annoyed Beach enough for him to brace a leg and heave his body upwards, getting a hand wrapped under the pinioning wrist and forcing it away enough to breathe in throaty gasps. "Fuck... you..." He wrenched himself down and twisted around to knock his opponent down. Squiggy didn't stay down this time either and came up fast, shoving into Beach's chest who still got in a few punches before they grappled again.

Courtney wanted to cheer him on but was afraid she'd distract him, so she grabbed Benny's arm tightly. "They're going to hurt each other..."

"Hey.. Ranger hand-to-hand competition is rough. Ditch can take it. He's a tough guy.." Benny's voice halted as he saw Squiggy lining Beach up for a takedown blow. "Oh crap... "

Courtney gasped as she watched Squiggy fling a heavy punch into BeachHead's temple, sending him crashing down in a heap. She saw him go limp before he hit the canvas. His leg kicked once before he went still. "WAYNE!" Only Benny's grip on her arm stopped her from jumping up into the ring. "Oh my god..."

"Hang tight.." Benny moved up to the second step while the referee gave Beach a few pats to rouse him. "Come on Ditch.. wakey wakey!" He leaned over the ropes to slap his face with the back of his hand. "Come on.. time to get up. Fight's over. Fight's done with.. don't go jumping up on no one."

Beach sat up groggily. "Whuu? Did Ah win?"

"Naw.." Benny spoke over the general laughter. "Naw, sorry Ditch. You lost.. get up.. come on and get out of the ring before Squiggy steps on you accidentally." He reached down again to pull his friend to his feet by an arm.

Squiggy shook his head and steadied the older Ranger as he bent to step between the ropes exiting. "Easy.. don't fall over.. you alright? Didn't mean to knock you quite that hard. You got a hard damned head Sneeden. Why you got to make me do this to you every time? Just once we could finish up a fight all civilized style."

"Hell Squiggy." Beach paused and shook his head as he straightened on the outside of the ropes, tilting over badly until Squiggy righted him again. "Ah ain't never been one fer givin' up easy. Once yer beatin' on me.. ain't like Ah can just quit fightin'. Bad habit fer me to get into.. stoppin' fightin' a'fore Ah win.." He staggered sideways going down the four steps and fell off. "Crap!" He barely caught himself before he went facedown, wincing as his knee slammed into the concrete floor.

Courtney bent to take his arm and lift him off his knees. "Wayne? Are you okay?"

"Oh he's fine, Corporal. He's a tough old guy." Squiggy touched his forehead politely at her. "You guys give him an ice pack for his head, would you?" He turned back to the referee.

She glared at his oblivious back. "He didn't have to go and hit you that hard. That bastard.. I oughta.."

BeachHead looked alarmed. "You better not, Barbiedoll. Stay outa it. It's a competition.. big deal. Hell, you've hit me near about as hard with a wrench.. " He staggered again, being pushed back into place by Benny on his other side. "Thanks Benny.. Ah think Ah better sit down.."

They got him to a chair and seated. One of the Army medics stopped by long enough to check his eyes and reflexes. Once he'd declared him fine if perhaps a bit rattled, he handed over a cold pack and left to check another Ranger. Beach put the pack up on his head and winced.

"Dang... ow." He pointed at CoverGirl as she started to glare through the crowd. "I said leave it alone. It's a fight.. fair fight, good hit.. don't you dare go sayin' nothin' to no one. Ain't like he came after me with a cactus like some Ah could mention." His attempt at humor made her cross her arms and frown.

"That was different. Besides.. only I get to beat you up now." Her frown deepened as she looked around the area again. "I'll give him a dressing down..."

Benny gave her a light slap to her arm. "Hey greaser... lay off of Squiggy. He can't help it if Ditch lost. Ranger fighting isn't made up of love taps, not like those stupid civilian contests. No cookie cutter karate here. Ditch is a tough guy.. right Ditch?" He grabbed Beachhead by the shoulders and gave him a shake, making him wince slightly. "Good man.. good man."

BeachHead leaned back to look up at Benny who was grinning at him. "Listen half-pint... don't make me get up and beat you into a pulp." He turned to glare at CoverGirl. "And you settle down. It ain't no big deal. I just got a bit rattled. I'm fine. Didn't even get a concussion, right?"

She nodded and moved the cold pack to peer at the side of his face. "All right.. but when you have a massive aneurism and die, I'm going to tell you 'I told you so'."

He smiled at that. "Well I don't care, I'll be dead and so I won't be listening anyway." She smacked at his head and he winced. "Ow. See? You go and hit me.. why shouldn't Squiggy hit me too? Damn woman.." He pressed his cold pack back to his head. "Well, I'm out of the fightin' now."

"Out? I thought you'd win!" Covergirl seemed outraged on his behalf and he sighed at her. "Don't do that.. you're a great fighter!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm good at beatin' down any enemy what's stupid enough to face me. Fightin' in a ring is different, gal. Speakin' of rings, let's go see if Stalker is winnin' any of his bouts." He got up shakily and put a hand on her shoulder briefly to help himself stay upright while the room swung around him. "Oooo.. spinny..."

She tried to encourage him to sit back down but wasn't surprised when he resisted. "You're going to fall on your nose." Ignoring that, he began to walk slowly towards the side of the gym where the boxing rounds were taking place. "Wayne, you're going to fall over.."

"Yeah well.. don't let me fall over." He smiled tightly, enjoying her fussing although he would never admit it. "Keep an eye out for Lonzo or Lydia.." He suddenly frowned. "Huh... never thought about that."

She pushed gently to keep him walking in a straight line. "Thought about what?" Looking around on her tiptoes didn't show any hint of either of their friends.

"Lonzo and Lydia.. their names are alike.. weird, huh?" He blinked down at her.

"His name is probably actually 'Alonzo' but yes, that's kind of odd. I think it's cute." She looked at his face and smiled at him. "Your eyes are a little crossed there."

"Well Squiggy hit me pretty dang hard.. gimme a break." The farther he walked the steadier he became and by the time CoverGirl spotted Stalker in a ring, he could focus well enough to see his teammate blocking punches and returning them with fast jabs towards the other Ranger's head. "He's givin' him hell.."

Courtney winced as Stalker took a swift punch to his chest. "He is going to be sooo sore come morning.. ouch.." Another jab to his face was dodged expertly. Stalker's hands flicked out in feints and jabs, being blocked or not as his opponent struggled to counter his moves. "Ooooo! Get him!"

They moved closer and found Lydia standing almost next to the ring encouraging her man. "Come on Lonzo.. hit him..." Her fists clenched in unconscious imitation and she flinched slightly as he took a few sharp blows. "Block that! Block Lonzo! You can take him..." He lowered himself slightly and threw a few wide roundhouse punches that were easily blocked before he drew in his arms to jab quickly at his opponent's unprotected face. The man staggered under the onslaught and went to a knee. Within a moment the fight was over and Stalker was grinning as his wrist was tugged upwards. He reached to help the other Ranger back to his feet, exchanging a few casual words before he came out of the ring to be hugged by Lydia.

"Hey baby... another one down. I advance again." He rinsed his mouth out and rubbed a towel over his sweaty torso. "Guys! Beach, why are you over here, you'll miss your next bout." He gave Covergirl a nudge with one gloved hand. "You been watching our guy get his butt kicked?"

She cast a glance over at Beach who snorted and pressed his cold pack on his head again. "Well yes actually. He got knocked out.. literally and out of the competition. He's all done for the day now." Turning back to him, she smiled at him. "I assume you're doing better than our rugged Sergeant major?"

Lydia beamed proudly and stroked her fingers along Stalker's cheek. "He's doing really well. They're in the finals already. You're the man, baby!" A fond kiss made Stalker grin. "Kicking ass and taking names!"

Beach nodded. "I knew you'd place well." Stalker reached over to nudge the cold pack aside to look at the bruise. "Yeah.. I know."

Stalker waved a glove at his head. "I didn't expect you to win it all, but dang, getting knocked out? What happened to you?" He shook his head at the coloring bruise and Beach quickly covered it back up with the ice pack.

Beach snorted lightly. "Squiggy."

Stalker let out a sigh of understanding. "Gotcha. You okay?"

Covergirl crossed her arms and frowned. "He'll be okay but I still say.."

BeachHead interrupted her. "You say you'll be keepin' quiet and not tryin' to waylay Squiggy and knee him in the nads. That's what yer sayin'." He raised a finger in warning at her when she started to retort. "Ahhhh!" Her mouth shut in a annoyed frown and he nodded. "Good girl." Before she could get angry over that, he tilted his head over to kiss her. "Please.. ?"

"Alright. But he.." The finger came up again and she gritted her teeth. "Fine. Let someone whack you in the head with a brick and see if I care." Turning to Lydia she rolled her eyes. "Men."

"Oh.. but you do love him.." She laughed easily. "Come on.. let's watch my Lonzo kick some ass."

Benny cleared his throat. "I'm taking off. You going to be okay Ditch? Not going to suddenly fall over dead or nothing, right?" He stepped out of range as Beach tried halfheartedly to swat at him. "Easy there. You'll fall over."

"Whatever. You gonna see Sarge?" At Benny's nod, he shifted his weight back a bit. "Tell him I said hey and that I hope we can hook up later. I'm gonna take Barbiedoll to show her the obstacles and confidence course and all that later.. after all the trainin' is done. I don't want to interrupt no Ranger trainin' by bein' there."

Benny agreed. "Last group should leave about six or so in the afternoon. There's no night training going on right now." He rubbed a hand over his short shorn hair. "Next week we start dumping them into the deep dark scary woods without a light."

Beachhead grinned. "Ahhh.. the days of sneakin' around the woods while a buncha half blind trainees grope their way through the trees tryin' to learn orienteering while sleep deprived."

CoverGirl shook her head at them. "You sound so sadistic." Both Rangers gazed at each other then simultaneously grinned at her. "Rangers. You're all crazy."

Benny gave a mock bow at her, carefully out of range of a kick. "Thank you madam. On that note, I'll take my leave of you. Try to keep Ditch here out of most of the trouble he'll try to stumble into, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll try. Take care Benny." They watched him winding his way through the crowds, greeting those he knew and disappearing from view.

BeachHead grunted as he checked out the various rings where bouts were taking place and CoverGirl raised an eyebrow in question. "Ehh.. I was just thinkin' that SnakeEyes could take any of these guys without breakin' a sweat. Hell, he could take on any dozen without too much worry."

CoverGirl nodded and then smiled wickedly. "Yeah.. let's face it, Jinx could wipe the floor with most of the guys in the rings here." Beach sighed at her but nodded. "Aww, don't take it personal.. I bet if I asked her, Jinx would meet up with Squiggy in a dark alley and teach him a few painful lessons for punching my man in the head that way."

"Courtney! Gawd DAMMIT! Don't say stuff like that!"

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End Chapter

A bit protective over "her" Ranger isn't she? Tune in next time for some awesome Stalker boxing.


	29. The Untitled

Chapter 29

Thank you for the continuing interest!

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Covergirl was well versed in various martial arts, even if she wasn't terribly proficient in any particular form compared to some of the Joes. She could hold her own in a fight, but similar to BeachHead, she tended to use a warped mishmash of forms and moves. Her own fighting wasn't comparable to Stalker's boxing talent.

Watching Beach in the ring was watching a messy brawl each time. He tended to win, he showed a great deal of skill but it had no finesse. Watching Stalker in a boxing ring on the other hand...

She blinked as he shifted his stance backwards just 3 inches, letting the punch land on his chest ineffectively as the power was spent before his opponent reached him. Shifting ever so slightly to one side or the other made blows miss his head. His own strikes flickered out and landed precisely and solidly. The punishing blows made short work of the other Rangers, giving them little chance to inflict much damage on Stalker himself.

She winced as he took a hard right hook to the jaw. It barely slowed him but it was just enough for his opponent to move in and land several punches in succession, knocking Stalker back. Before he could recover he was down. Lydia yelled in dismay but it was too late and the fight was over.

Stalker climbed to his feet and touched his glove to the other fighter's. There was a surge in the crowd noise and then their friend was down next to them, holding out his gloves to Lydia. "Hey baby.. sorry.. did my best."

She leaned to kiss his cheek and began unlacing the gloves. "You did great! I don't expect you to be a professional boxer." Her smile got wicked. "Besides.. if you were getting punched in the head every day, you's start forgetting important stuff.. like my favorite perfume.. the kind of chocolate I love.. how I love it when you tickle behind my ear..." She giggled at him as the gloves slipped off. "I prefer you all smart.. and in eighth place."

He grinned and flexed his hands a few times, wiping them off on a towel before reaching for her. A long kiss and he tilted his head to look into her eyes. "You bet on me reaching the top ten.. didn't you?" She nodded and he sighed. "My own little gambling addict... did you make enough to take your man to lunch at a nice restaurant?"

"Oh I can take you anywhere you'd like." Lydia kissed him again before turning to Courtney. "Hey, you guys want to come along? There's a really nice place about thirty minutes out from the east gate. Good food, a little pricy but it's worth it." She helped Stalker toweling off and handed him his teeshirt back.

CoverGirl hummed a little looking at BeachHead who shrugged. "Well.. it sounds good but Beach _did_ promise me that he'd show me the heavy vehicle garages..." She raised an eyebrow at him.

Beach lifted the ice pack off his lump. "Uhh.. concussion?" She frowned and he sighed and gave up easily. "Yes I know.. I already said I was fine. Yeah, I'll get you into the tank maintenance and such." She jumped up and hugged his neck, making him wince. "Yeah yeah... come on. We're gonna eat lunch first though. The grease monkeys won't welcome no one in there during lunch hour anyway."

She leveled a finger at him. "Then we're eating at the messhall. You _are_ taking me to the garages. You promised. They have several Abrams and Jacobsen said they were in the middle of rebuilding the engine itself on one. I never get to work on Abrams."

"Alright. You wanna go, we'll go." He pressed the ice pack back to his head. "Can we pick up some aspirin fer my head first?"

"I'll get you some." She folded her arms at him and he gave up. She was pretty sure that he was resisting out of sheer perversity, since he'd been the one to offer the tour of the heavy equipment before she'd had a chance to ask. But then, arguing with the big Ranger was endlessly entertaining, so she didn't mind. As long as she won the argument, of course. "So do you want to head back to the room?"

He looked puzzled. "What for? We could head right over to the messhall from here."

Lydia rolled her eyes at him. "Beach, I'd be discreet and subtle, but I'd end up having to find a clue-by-four to use on you in the end, so no offense, but you guys stink. All the fighting has caused a lot of sweating and such, and you need to shower and clean up before you inflict that stench on people trying to eat lunch, especially the women who will be sitting with you."

Beachhead's expression had gone still and he shrugged slightly in dismissal. "Fine. We'll go clean up." Reaching out, he put a hand on Courtney's back to nudge her out in front of him. "Let's go."

They exited the building before she tried to put an arm around him only to have him step away. "Beach.. it's fine. Lydia just.."

"Lydia was right." He gave her a tight smile. "I do stink." As she started to protest, he waved her silent. "Naw.. it's fine. This ain't like the guys at the Pitt tauntin' me over it. It's just fact right now. I'm not upset, my head just hurts and I don't wanna go snappin' at no one over nothin'." He put a hand out to push her away again as she stepped up. "You go squishin' up on me, I don't wanna hear no 'ewww' from ya."

She frowned. "No ewww. You forget, I've been sweaty and nasty and covered in mud and grease myself at the end of a hard day too." A wide grin appeared on her face. "You've never seemed to mind."

"Well.. no.. " He sighed at her. "Why don't I just concede defeat at the start of every conversation with you so I ain't gotta bother tryin' to keep things makin' sense?" She punched his arm and he rubbed at it absently. "Ow." When she mocked him, he glared at her, tugging his teeshirt up to show off the bruise left from his ill-fated parachute jump. "Bruises.. Ah'd appreciate if'n ya would stop hittin' 'em on a regular basis." The annoyance in his tone made her apologize. "It's okay.."

"Well no it's not." Courtney tucked both hands into her pockets. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hit you, just poke at you.. and I keep managing to cause you pain."

He shook his head. "Oh well, yeah. I did want a shrinkin' violet girl who is more worried about breakin' a nail or smudgin' their make-up rather than a tough woman who can take care of herself and beat the shit out of anyone what pisses her off. I guess I'll have to make do with you instead." He closed the eye closest to her as she smacked his shoulder with an open hand a few times. "Okay.. those were called fer.. " He laughed softly as she made a point of throwing her hands in the air dramatically. "Yeah yeah.. yer gonna get the Grammy fer sure with that performance."

Her hand went to her forehead. "Wayne.. that's the Oscars. The Grammys are for music. You are so clueless when it comes to ANYthing regarding pop culture.. it's just scary how focused you are on only Army stuff. And I wasn't being THAT melodramatic." She looked over to see him grinning. "You bastard, you bait me.. you seriously just enjoy baiting me. I never know if you're actually clueless or being a brat."

"I'm bein' difficult and unpredictable. Gotta keep ya off balance so ya don't go gettin' bored with me and find some other guy who's more handsome and socially acceptable and less likely to embarrass ya in public." Beach's casual tone would fool anyone except for Courtney. He barely looked like he was waiting for some protest from her over the idea.

Lips twitching ever so slightly, she indulged his insecurities. "Wayne, I don't want any other guys, no matter what. I'll never be bored with you." She watched for the slight relaxing of the lines around his eyes. "Besides.. I recall that I was the one getting into a catfight over you on our first real date... so perhaps you want some cute bimbo who won't embarrass YOU in public." She waited in turn for him to protest and finally looked over at him to see him looking thoughtful. "Bastard."

"Kiddin'! I don't want no one else neither." He got a extremely self-satisfied smile. "Besides.. havin' a couple good-lookin' women catfightin' over me was kinda... hawt." When he glanced smugly over at his girlfriend, he jumped at the look on her face. Automatically he stepped slightly away and began running everything he'd said back through his brain searching for whatever he'd managed to say to insult her. 'Want only her', 'good-looking'... nope, couldn't be anything he'd said. Frowning at her irrational display of anger, he responded with confidence. "What now?"

"Did you just say 'good-looking women', Wayne?" Even though she was obviously mad, he couldn't see how that was anything wrong, so he gave a hesitant nod. "Really? 'Good-looking... _women_' hmmm?" Her emphasis made his eyes narrow in concentration but he just didn't see...

"Uh oh." Now her face got that satisfied look that said he was about to catch her righteous indignation in his teeth. "Look.. Ah uhh.. yer really good-lookin' see?"

"And her too, huh? So you thought she was as good-looking as me, hmm? Nice to know I can compete with some sleazy waitress.." Her jaw clenched and she continued in a tight voice. "You said you weren't even looking at her, Wayne. Now I find you were enjoying the sight of me rolling around with the other gorgeous babe.. "

"Ah never said she wuz gorgeous.. just good-lookin'... " Her eyes glinted and he rushed to add, "But nothin' like ya.. yer..y-yer way better than any bit a fluff." Casting around for something to say to make her un-angry at him, he seized on the wrong thing. "Now that yer not a thin little twig, there ain't no woman whut could compare to ya."

"Wayne.. I can't believe you! Not enough that I'm not pretty enough.. now I'm fat!" Courtney's darkening expression made him stop walking and step backwards twice. "Oh.. I cannot BELIEVE you went there! I am NOT fat! Just because I'm not some anorexic teen who throws up her half cup of yogurt.."

"Wait wait!" He tried to stop her. "A'fore ya go and get yerself all wound up.." Beach thought quickly. "Ah misspoke.. annnnnnnd... Ah meant that there was one gorgeous woman fightin' some.. umm.. other chick... uhh.. yer ten times as pretty and more capable than any dimwitted slinky twit ever.." Was her expression softening just a little? "And.. and.. no woman from no where has yer talents!"

Her face hardened again. "What talents exactly are you talking about Wayne? My talents at pleasing you? Am I a good lay?"

"Hell yeah!" Even as the words left his mouth, he scrambled to recover. "But that ain't got nuthin' to do with yer talent at everything. Yer fit and strong, ya shoot pretty danged good, ya got smarts and..." He was beginning to feel pretty desperate now. "...and... ain't no one in the danged world whut can work on a engine like you!"

Courtney suddenly got a shy smile. "You mean that?"

Hoping he'd finally hit on the right thing to mention, he nodded. "Yes. Ain't no one able to do what you can with a engine, girl." He spread his arms. "Ya got everything.. brains, beauty, ability, spunk, uhh.. yer.. umm.. lovin' and kind.. and...uhh.. smart... definitely forgivin'... very very forgivin'..."

She took pity on him struggling to think of another accolade. "Oh okay okay.. you're out of the doghouse.. but you'd better not be gazing at some bimbo and telling me she's pretty either."

He relaxed and began to think perhaps he wasn't going to get kicked in the kneecap today. "Well.. what's it really matter anyway? I mean.. it ain't half fair that yer oogling at other guys and talkin' about how fine Benny's ass is.. but I get in trouble fer makin' a bit of a slip about another woman." Beach motioned for her to start walking again. "It ain't like I'll choose some other woman.. "

She walked along quietly thinking. "Well.. I don't know. You do object to me staring at other guys.. but it's just not the same. I guess women are just more sensitive and you don't want to make me feel all insecure and unhappy... do you?" Her quick smile made him sigh. "Life's not fair, Wayne, you've told me that about a hundred times. It applies here too. So.." She roughened her voice and put on her best accent. "Soo suck it up butta-cup and gimme all ya got or Ah'll come down there and kick yer sorry butt!"

Beach rolled his eyes. "Yer a trial, ya know that, right?" He glanced over at her in time to register the sly grin on her face before she shoved him sideways into the ditch. "Auugh! Dammit!" The 'splat' sounded loud as did her giggles at him. "Well... ain't that nice of ya." Picking himself out of the mud, he flicked his hands to sling the mud off. Glaring at a few passersby, Beach wiped the worst of the mud away. "Whatcha lookin' at? Ain't never seen a real Ranger? Ain't a real Ranger less'n ya got some muck on ya." He did spare a glare for CoverGirl who stayed out of reach.

"Sorry Wayne, but... you know, I just figured you hadn't gotten to play in any mud pits at all in sooooo long.. " He flicked dirt at her as they walked and she ducked. "Sorry!" Despite his fussing, he wasn't as covered in mud as he acted like. A wet ditch was nothing like his deep filled mud pits back at the base. A couple streaks of dirt was barely noticeable compared to how he could look some days after PT when he'd felt the need to chase someone through the course personally. She reached over to wipe his cheek. "I'm sorry, honey. Really." Her mock contrite tone didn't fool him.

"Trial." BeachHead stepped into their room and held the heavy door for Courtney to come in behind him. "Ah'm gettin' a shower first."

"You need one now." She wrinkled her nose. "No offense Beach but you reek of sweat and testosterone. And mud.. with a healthy side of ick."

He frowned at her. "Shut it, Princess." He peeled his shirt off and tossed it into a heap in the bottom of the closet. Rubbing a hand over his head he grimaced. "Ahhh, I have dirt in my hair." His eyes narrowed. "You don't stay exactly pristine all the time there, yourself."

"Well yeah." She looked at her hands and arms. "But I don't smell as bad as you do." She tried to fend him off as he grabbed her and buried his face into her neck suddenly. "Oh get off! Get off!"

"Hmmm..." He snuffled several times. "Yer right, ya smell better than me.." Finally letting go of his girlfriend, he smiled at her making faces and wiping at herself. "Awww baby... don't ya love me.." He chuckled when she shook a finger at him.

"Don't push your luck, Sergeant major." He stripped the t-shirt off as he turned away and she took the opportunity to wind up her shirt and snapped it at his bare back. The loud pop was followed by him jumping and yelping. "Ahh.. see? Payback's a bitch.."

He glared. "Ow. Yer brutal." He rubbed at the sore spot. "Ah'll remember that.. ya just take that in mind when yer stabbin' me in the back, girl." He fended off another snap by snatching the end of the shirt when she flung it at him. "Keep that up.."

"Go get your shower." Courtney pulled her shirt back and pointed at the bath. "Go on.. shoo. Shower. Get clean and nicer smelling so we can go to lunch." He grumbled slightly as he disappeared into the bath. "He sounds like a bear." Stretching in the center of the room, she felt her spine pop. "Ahh..." She briefly wondered how long it would take the Ranger in the shower and suddenly slapped her forehead. "I'm an idiot."

Stripping clothing off on the way, she grinned as she opened the door quietly. Sneaking to the shower curtain, she rattled it suddenly, listening to the squeak of Beach jumping in the porcelain tub just before he started cursing. "Hey Ranger man.. got room for two in there!" She poked her head around the curtain into the steamy spray and grinned at him, certain that he was aware she was there so he wouldn't whack her accidentally in startlement. Without waiting for the answer, she climbed in, admiring the large male body rather a lot. "Mmmm.. hot wet Ranger.. my favorite after dinner treat." Her eyes traveled over the heavily muscled chest covered in body hair plastered flat by the water and soap. Courtney used her fingertips to trace out some of the scars marking his skin making him shiver in reaction.

"Yer shameless. Just sayin'." Beach rubbed at his hair, getting shampoo rinsed out of it. The slender body crowding in with him wasn't unwelcome in the least. In fact, his hands wrapped her waist, drawing her carefully closer. She was made of sleek muscle and soft skin and the contrast drove him mad with desire. "Absolutely shameless."

Her smirk answered him. "Why don't you find out just how shameless I can get?"

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End Chapter

They're certainly enjoying their vacation time.


	30. Obstacles

This is a pretty long chapter but there's a lot happening. Instead of splitting this into two parts, I figured I'd just give everyone a bunch to read! No cliffhanger! I hope you're enjoying reading it.

To the reviewer that called it nothing but "fluff". I'm really sorry you've missed that it's a mystery in addition to the character building. I realize it's going a bit slow, but as I stated before, this is my first attempt to write a mystery type story and I fear I don't have the hang of mysteries. Bear with me. There IS action happening throughout, building up and all that "plot" stuff. It may be easier to see it when reading a completed story, rather than reading it bit by bit each week. Hang in there, readers!

To all my reviewers and PM commenters, thank you so very much. You really do help me out in how to write things so they make sense, in addition to being entertaining. I appreciate each and every review you leave!

* * *

Chap 30

Beach leaned on the fender of a Abrams. It had a sizable dent in it that he was carefully not thinking about, since the force needed to dent the plate armor of the tank would have been sizable. He forbid himself to yawn. If he made it through officer socials as Hawk's aide, he could wait for Courtney to get done chattering with the mechanics working on the Abrams project. When they'd shown up, he'd explained he was just there to show the corporal around and gotten the thumbs up for a tour. Then Courtney's unbridled enthusiasm attracted the attention of some of the other grease monkeys and once they started talking engines, Beachhead had quickly been lost in the technical jargon.

He would have thought that after a good three hours they'd have talked about everything a person could talk about regarding the various engines and transmissions and alterations that one could make, adjust or screw up on a tank. He'd have been wrong as they were still showing no signs of slowing down. He'd be annoyed but all he needed to do was look at Courtney and see how animated her face was and how excited she was discussing her specialty with other qualified mechanics.. and his annoyance disappeared. Beach had hovered at first, convinced that he'd have to step in when one of the men decided to try taking advantage of the lone female by getting fresh. However, it seemed that talking about heavy equipment was more compelling than flirting.

Waiting out of everyone's way, he automatically counted heads in the repair bays and mused absently on exactly how he would take out each person as they moved around in order to be able to kill the whole crew with no escapees and no loud outcry. It was a bit complex but using the large vehicles as concealment, he decided he'd be able to do it in under ten minutes. For the sheer entertainment, he ran the scenario through his head using only his bare hands. He abruptly thought that he was being a bit bloodthirsty, but then, he'd been nearly killed a few times already this week, while 'on vacation', so he decided it was understandable. His eyes narrowed as two more techs entered the far engine bay and Beach began to recalculate with the new arrivals.

He let out a sigh and CoverGirl turned to look at him. "Ahhh.. I think that Sergeant major just hit his boredom limit." Beach straightened up and tried to look alert and interested and she smiled fondly. "He's a good guy even if he's no mech-head. Besides, I'd better get out of here before some officer shows up to bitch that nothing is getting done."

The mechanics nodded and agreed. "Good idea.. last thing we want is some stiff shirt popping in to give us hell. They're all fussy because of the Rangers all over stepping on their toes." That one nodded respectfully towards Beach. "No offense meant."

"None taken." There was several minutes of last commentary before Courtney turned to walk away. Beach fell in beside her, watching her as she looked over the tank engine with one last longing sigh. "You do get all excited over these things, don't ya?"

She blushed hard. "Well.. yeah.. but it's only because these are Abrams... ABRAMS Beach! And... and I'll remind you.. you got a woodie over a gun."

He sputtered. "Well yeah.. b-but..." Suddenly he stopped and got thoughtful. "We're both kinda messed up in the head, ain't we?" He certainly didn't feel bothered by this revelation. Rather, he was amused that they had that in common.

She huffed in mock indignation. "Speak for yourself.. I think it's perfectly normal for people to get hot and bothered over a vintage armored vehicle. Everyone does. It's common knowledge." Tossing her ponytail off her shoulder she gazed down her nose at him. "Especially when the engine is all torn apart and it's getting a overhaul on the tranny." She felt the flush of color on her neck and cursed softly.

Beach watched her as they walked, a slight smile lifting one corner of his mouth. "Ahhh.. ya try to act like yer kiddin' about it.. but I can see... I can see yer all kinds of warm feelin' there..." Stepping closer, he lowered his voice. "If'n they didn't lock up them garages... Ah'd take ya back there tonight.. " Her breath hitched slightly at his low purr. ".. and Ah'd lay you on one of them engine blocks.. right in the grease and grime... Ah'd do things to you..." He straightened slightly. "Too bad they lock that place up like friggin' Fort Knox."

"Bastard..." She sped up a little, making him catch up. "That was payback for the rifle tease wasn't it?"

"Maybe-so.. maybe-no." His pleased tones made her smile anyway. Beach gave a little jerk of his chin indicating the upcoming area. "So this is the Benning physical trainin' courses." They walked to the edge of the area and paused while a drill instructor finished yelling at group of trainees. The formation of grimy exhausted young men shouted back in unison and finally broke apart to run off towards freedom. Beach's eyes glinted and Courtney laid a discreet hand on his forearm. "This's regular Army grunts." He gave a nod of respect to the instructor who was picking up a few items before he headed out on his own errands.

The instructor gave them a stern warning look until he was close enough to ID Beachhead's rank markings and Ranger tab. Then he relaxed and gave Courtney a nod with a smirk just obvious enough to make her blush. "Evening Sergeant major Sneeden. I'm drill instructor Sergeant Kowalski. My guys are out for the day, but the Ranger trainees are still on the advanced course. Probably have a quarter hour to go. I'd appreciate if you'd keep to the sidelines until they're done."

Beach lifted his head to listen to the muted shouts coming from beyond the obstacles they were standing in. "Thanks. We won't interrupt nothin'." A nod and they moved on, slipping between and around some of the standard rope swings, climbing walls and tunnels that all Army courses had. When they reached the advanced course area, they stopped and Beach's eyes narrowed slightly. Courtney watched this and put herself under his arm to distract him. He glanced down at her in surprise and tightened his arm gently. "They're wrappin' up."

Leaning into him securely, she smiled at the weight of his arm on her shoulders. "How can you tell?"

"The recruits are all exhausted and about done in. Good trainers don't push them past the point of collapse, just to the edge. The first couple days they shove them right over the edge.. and near the end of the trainin' they'll do it again. That's calculated and fer a very precise reason. But fer trainin' we never want to break 'em.. just push them almost to that point." His voice was distant and he was gazing at the group of young men shouting and running, climbing and crawling through obstacles.

"You miss being here at Benning, don't you?" Courtney felt his shoulder lift in a shrug, but his eyes didn't leave the trainees. "Do you want to transfer back?"

"Oh hell no." The mild tone surprised her. "What? Give up shootin' terrorists in the face to come back to babysittin' a buncha recruits what think they're all that and a bag of chips.. while the high muckedy-mucks try to make me sit through 'sensitivity trainin' on accounta I made some pogue question his self-worth? Not likely." She smiled, hiding her disappointment at his reply while feeling foolish. "Benning has got a lotta things to attract me back, no doubt. I mean, the Rangers, status and a regular schedule rather than wonderin' if'n I'll be starvin' in a jungle gettin' shot at instead of doin' paperwork in the messhall.. there's a buncha reasons to come back to Benning.. but it ain't got no gorgeous crazy grease-monkey ex-models with poor taste in men." His eyes twinkled in amusement as he looked down into her grinning face. "I asked Sarge and he said the women on base ain't as purty as you are and he's dang sure that they're all too smart to date me..." She jabbed his ribs. ".. not that I'd want any other crazed tank jockeys... no worries.. don't go and kick me or nothin' alright?"

"I'll consider it." She hugged him tightly until he reached his limit of touchy-feely and began to squirm. "Wayne, I only worry about some other woman snatching you away because you're a great guy and anyone with eyes should see that and want you." Now he really squirmed and she gave one last squeeze before turning loose to lean on him instead.

"Well.. I think yer blind but that's real nice of ya to say." Obviously out of his depth, Beach instead fixed on an approaching figure. "Hey.. Benny.. "

"Hey Ditch." The casual tone didn't match the liberally mud-spattered appearance and he saw Courtney eying him. "Tunnel crawls... some of the recruits figured they could sneak in a break in the middle of the tunnels. Harder to stop for a break when I'm on their ass tearing them a new one." His pleased grin made her shake her head while Beachhead held out a fist. "Yeah... you remember training some of these sneaky bastards.."

Bumping fists, Beach snorted. "I still do. Gawd but they all think they're the first one to think up each sneaky trick."

CoverGirl watched some of the recruits leaving at a fast stagger. "Do you throw them out if they try to pull that sort of thing?"

Both Rangers snorted at her. Benny answered. "Hell no.. Rangers are sneaky. Recruits that think it's all about only fighting in a upfront and honorable fashion wouldn't last two minutes in a real situation." She was treated to a slightly condescending look. "Count yourself lucky, it's no fun living with some of the stuff front line combatants have to go through."

She controlled her expression with a superb effort. "I can only imagine."

His face went a bit sheepish. "Sorry.. I just realized I sounded almost as pompous as Amore there.. Sorry Army-girl." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Speaking of the asshat..." He turned to Beach. "He 'happened' to stroll by just a bit ago. 'Happened' that he was asking if you were here or if I knew if you'd be coming up. Sarge said he had a talk with Amore's CO Major Halcrow but it could be that the major ain't had time to nab the bastard and pin his ears back. So just step lightly."

Beach made a face at that. "Thanks. Ain't no good reason for him to be skulkin' around down here."

Benny tilted his head. "He's a warrant officer on Benning, he can inspect any part of the base if he likes. He wasn't interrupting training or nothing like that. Can't tell him he can't be here, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders casually. "Sorry Ditch, just the way things are."

Beach grunted. "Yeah. I remember." He gave a tilt of his head towards the course. "I was gonna show the courses off to Courtney once the trainees are all outa the way, if that's okay?"

Benny peered over at the other instructors who were picking up a last few items and comparing notes. "Trainees are off, rest of us will be gone in ten minutes. I'm clearing the course and the explosives range. Got to run." He trotted off to talk to a handful of the instructors before moving off through the obstacle course, checking for left behind items or stray people. The rest of the instructors disappeared, some following after the same route as the trainees had taken, some obviously off-duty and chatting as they headed up towards the rest of the Benning offices and facilities. Beach gave her a slight nudge and she started walking down the line of the confidence testing obstacles. With evening coming onto them, the deserted course looked very different than when Courtney had been outrunning the trainees before.

Beach was eying one of the taller constructions. "You know.. I really should build a high beam walk... all mine are low. Sure.. it's technically the same skill but walkin' a thin rail a few feet offa the ground ain't as challengin' as doin' it twenty feet up." He looked up at the construction and hummed softly as he thought about it. "Since I got them new telephone poles in, make a good support system..."

"Beach... do you really think you need a super tall thing for people to fall off of?" Courtney sighed at the confused look he gave her. "Never mind. I'm sure the ninja will be pleased at any rate."

He smiled at her and put a hand on her back. "Come on down this way.. " He motioned along a well worn path. "Let me show you the explosives range.. it's got walls and doors and such." She grinned at him and he looked around in a sly manner. "It's all private and quiet.. "

"Naughty... you are such a naughty naughty Ranger." She reached up to hook a finger on his dogtag chain and gave a little tug. "You know what happens to naughty Rangers, don't you?" Tilting her chin up, she kissed his lips as he bent to her.

"Naw... whut happens.." BeachHead kissed her a second time and smiled against her lips. "Cause Ah could stand with bein' a lotta naughty around ya..."

She put a hand up between them and pushed him slightly away. "Naughty Rangers have to stand guard duty and do KP. Sarge told me so." She turned and sashayed away, glancing over her shoulder to see him putting a hand on his face and shaking his head. "Coming Beach?"

"Not anytime soon... apparently..." His amused tone made her smile and he caught up and settled to walk beside her. "Why you so wicked to me? Ain't ya supposed to be sweet and nice and all that?" He quirked an eyebrow in mock reproof of her taunting. "How am I supposed to be all attracted to someone what yanks my chain constantly?"

She smiled and hooked a finger through his dogtag chain again to pull on it. "Oh you like when I yank your chain. In fact..." She pulled his neck so he leaned over to her where she could kiss his cheek. "I think you come around to do things that irk me just so I will yank your chain."

"Well now..." Beach straightened and reached to disentangle her grip on his tags and tuck them inside his shirt. "... Ah couldn't say yea or nay on that particular subject." He glanced over slyly. "Ah will say that yer cheeks get warm and yer eyes get all sparkin' bright when yer mad." Raising his chin to look down the path they were following, he shrugged. "Could just be that gets me all kinds of worked up. Man likes a gal with some spunk in her."

"You are ridiculous." Courtney nodded as he explained another tower climb. The whole area was quiet as the last of the instructors disappeared. She thought she saw Benny himself leaving with an armload of junk. "Is that a building back in the trees?"

Beach nodded. "More or less. It's walls and doors and windows.. ain't no roof on top though. That's the room clearin' and entry training course."

She nodded to that. "Oh that's where you knocked yourself unconscious against a braced door?" He groaned. "That had to be hysterical. You're such a bulldozer... it had to be a challenge to them as instructors you know. Just like how you feel when the ninjas blow over your courses like it's a stroll down a grassy lane." Her wicked smile made him snort. "Oh you know that drives you crazy. Everyone knows it does."

"It's that obvious?" She nodded enthusiastically and he sighed. "Ain't right that anyone breezes through stuff like that. I'm supposed to push folks to their limits so they'll improve and danged if it ain't hard to find limits to some." Beach sighed. "Danged ninja are always skewin' all the rules."

"Well, don't worry about ninjas right now. You still have a few days before you have to worry about foiling SnakeEyes and his abilities." Courtney tugged his arm and put it around her shoulders. "Right now, you'd better be worried about me and my abilities."

"Oh I always worry about that... yer ability to cause trouble.. yer ability to raise my blood pressure.. " Beach took the elbow to his ribs manfully and sighed at her. "Well stop whackin' on me." He tugged open a door in a blank wall and shoved her through. "There.. now yer in the room clearin' course." He easily held the door shut while she tugged fruitlessly from the inside. "What? Can't hear ya through the door." It bumped a few times before it got quiet and he paused and listened carefully to silence. "Ya give up?" There was no response and he finally gave in to open the door and peer in. "Courtney?"

He heard the slight scuffing behind him too late and just braced himself for the boot that hit him in the thigh. "You big pain!" Courtney shoved ineffectively at him. "Maybe you should remember there's more than one doorway into this shell of a building!"

"Ahh! Stop!" He fended her off rather easily since she was only half-heartedly attempting to smack him. "I didn't know they'd put back exits in." He finally captured her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her still against him. "Stop... shhh... stop..." Instead of fighting with her, he simply held her snugly and kissed her face a few times. He had judged correctly and she stopped struggling and bent her head to kiss him. "I love you... "

She smiled against his lips. "Kiss me again." He obliged and she sighed happily. "I love you too Wayne." Wrapping her arms up around his neck, she ran her fingers up through his short hair and tugged at it playfully. "I'm really glad you let me come along."

His shy smile suddenly disappeared as his head came up to peer out into the rapidly darkening woods. "Did ya hear something?" Courtney hummed softly and kissed his neck, distracting him briefly. Then his ears caught a soft rustle again. "There... something's movin' around..."

"It's probably nothing Wayne." Giving a cursory look out at the trees, Courtney smiled at him. "Relax, we aren't in a hot zone, no Cobra operatives lurking to jump us. We're on Fort Benning." He shifted his weight slightly and she gave a light shake to his shoulders. "Wayne.. come on. It's probably some creature like a raccoon or something. Or it's one of the recruits screwing around with a girlfriend he shouldn't be messing with. It doesn't matter." Tugging his wrist, she stepped away, moving through the roofless rooms and drawing him to follow. "Come on.. we'll just get away from the open.. where no one can see us... all private and quiet.. and the moon is coming up."

She finally gained his attention and he followed her. "I'm just a little on edge.. folks tryin' to kill me all week..."

"Oh don't start that again... you had some poor luck and a few accidents and fail to realize you can't play chicken with large trucks. I think you're over-reacting." She turned and moved through a narrow hallway, deserted except for some drifted dry leaves and a leftover pouch discarded against the wall. "No one has been trying to kill you."

"Ah ain't been makin' this up! Ah might have poor luck but ain't no one got luck this poor all at once." BeachHead shook his head following close behind the slender woman as she walked through the building. "Courtney.. Ah thought at least you would believe me."

His disappointment made her roll her eyes. "It's not that I don't.. well... I just can't accept that at Fort Benning with all the Rangers and Army and security... that anyone would be foolish enough to try to take out one single guy. I mean.. why? It's patently ridiculous Wayne. Who would do that?"

Gritting his teeth, he tried to drop the subject but the dismissal grated on his nerves. "You _know_ who." His voice dropped to a hiss. "Amore.. he's had it in fer me fer years. Now he's got me on base again.. and insteada tryin' to discredit me and convince folks in charge Ah'm some sort of rapist.. he's gone to tryin' to just off me himself."

"Wayne." Courtney's hair shimmered in the moonlight as she shook her head. The darkness had completely obscured the sky and only vague shadows appeared and disappeared in the gloomy false building. The woman looked almost like a chastising apparition ahead of him. "Wayne I love you.. but.." She paused, obviously trying to think whether to humor him or try to force him to face reality. She reached for the latch on the rear entryway door, taking a moment to disengage the automatic locking mechanism. "There's no one trying to kill you. You're being paranoid and you need to just.."

Her voice was cut off as BeachHead grabbed her by one upper arm to rip her away from the door and slam her around the corner into the wall, his body crushing her to the rough plaster. Before she could even inhale, the explosion went off, blowing plaster and wood everywhere. His body covered hers as she screamed.

Both of their ears rang as the bits of debris finished clattering to the floor. He lifted away from her and shook his head slightly to dislodge part of the former security door off his shoulders. He gazed down at her. "Still think Ah'm paranoid?"

She clutched at his chest. "Wayne are you okay? What happened? What the hell was that?" His hands smoothed down her arms as he felt her limbs. "I'm fine.. are you okay?"

He nodded, shaking his arm slightly as he stepped over to the destroyed doorway. "Fuck... look at the metal doorframe.. ripped right out." His fingers walked about the jagged edge and found the loose bit of thin wire. "Trigger. I heard the ping when ya pulled the door latch.. boobytrapped with C4. It would've taken both of us out if I hadn't heard it. Sloppy set up.. "

Courtney peered out into the darkness, carefully stepping over shredded wood and plaster. "I hear shouting... there's security on the way down here." She bent to look at the wreckage as he poked at it. "It had to be someone who knows how to set up explosives Beach... my god... I didn't think anyone was really.. I mean.. could it have been left from them doing training here? I just.. could someone be that stupid? To leave a live charge on a door?"

Beach snorted. "Sapper trainin' don't teach anyone to place a heavy charge in the middle of a danged entry door. Sappers gainin' entry put charges on the latches, the hinges or the frames." He indicated the pieces of jagged metal and wood. "This was aimed to take out someone comin' through the door, not to open the door."

When Beach straightened up, he spotted Amore running towards them. "Oh hell yeah.. look who 'happens' to be comin' down here right away! Yeah ya bastard! Surprised to see Ah ain't dead?"

Amore snarled back, holding his hands away from his sides, he stood his ground, turning slightly as Beach moved sideways. "What are you doing down here setting off explosions? You are NOT authorized to detonate on base any more Sneeden!" His eyes flicked over as CoverGirl came out as well. "Oh.. oh yes.. down here with your latest clueless female recruit?"

Covergirl frowned at him. "Who you calling clueless?" She reached to gently push Beach's arms down. "Stand down, there... it's Warrant officer Amore..."

Beach ducked aside from her attempts to soothe him and stayed focused on the Army officer. "Oh hell yeah, Ah know who he is.. bastard just tried to blow me up.."

The sound of running feet made him twist around, keeping an eye on Amore while identifying Benny rushing up. "Benny... Amore just tried to kill me... you believe me now?" Beach continued to clench his fists, staring down his nemesis until Benny rushed between them with both hands up. "Get outa the way!"

Benny shook his head. "No... Ditch dude.. it wasn't Amore.. I saw him headed down here. He wasn't down here when the charges went off."

Amore raised his voice. "Ranger Farner is right, I was headed back down here because someone left a message at my office that you were down here! I certainly have NOT tried to kill you!" He ducked slightly when Beach snarled and tried to push Benny aside.

The smaller Ranger took a firm grip on Beach's wrist and put his hand down. "Stop... Ditch.. look at me.. stop. I met up with Amore part way down here. Besides, he's no sapper." His earnest tone dropped lower. "Stop or he'll put you in the stockade... we don't want you locked up."

Beach huffed a few times, frustrated. Stepping back a few times, he kept his voice low as he spoke to Benny. "He could have set it and headed up the hill and turned back once it went off. It don't take sapper tabs to jam wires in a chunk of C4! Ain't no way yer tellin' me he didn't have nothin' to.."

Benny shushed him again. "Ditch.. stop. Stockade.. he's looking for some excuse to lock you down, don't give him one." A half dozen soldiers were showing up now, several MPs on the run. Benny gave him a last significant look before he turned to the MPs, all sheepish grins and apologetic waves of his hands. "Sorry guys.. sorry... I should have posted a couple guards down here... must have been some Rangers having a bit of a joke... lousy prank. We'll have whoever left live explosives down here's liver when we figure out who did it. Yeah I know.. dumbasses.. some guys lose what little brain cells they got when they hit Rendezvous. Yeah old Ditch there probably about wet himself when it went off... probably just a prank gone wrong. No biggie, no injuries, no harm means no foul.. right? Am I right or am I right guys? Man.. this week never ends..." His jollying along of the officials even had Amore mollified within half an hour.

Courtney was spending the time keeping Beach pushed aside, murmuring to him in an insistent tone. "Wayne.. shh.. there's no proof it was Amore.. I know.. I know. But Benny is right, you know he is. Calm down. It's even possible.. shush.. shush... it's _possible_ that it was a trainee screwing around.. it could have been a prank... it could have been anything.. there's no proof."

He hissed in reply to her. "You can't tell me that you think this was a accident!" He watched her glance over to the knot of MPs being convinced of exactly that by Benny. "Courtney.."

She leaned in close to him. "Beach, I believe you think it's Amore. What I believe doesn't matter. The MPs are not going to arrest Amore just because you think he did this. Just calm down... we're both fine. We'll stay frosty and keep our eyes open for anything strange happening." Her hands stroked his, rubbing over his wrists and down onto his fingers over and over. "The important thing is that no one is hurt. We'll deal with everything. It's not like we're facing a battalion of Cobra troopers. We'll be fine."

Beach grunted at that but let her continue to soothe him. He knew.. he _knew_ he was right. She hadn't been the target of Amore's threats and jabs for years like he had.

Despite Beachhead's glares, Amore finally agreed with Benny and the MPs that everything was most likely simply more Ranger pranking taken too far. He still watched BeachHead closely and drew Courtney aside despite the larger Ranger's hissed warning.

Amore narrowed his eyes at BeachHead and turned his attention to Courtney. "Look Corporal..." He paused, obviously attempting to come up with her name. "Corporal Kroger?"

"Krieger." Courtney crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you about to caution me about how dangerous a boyfriend I've chosen, or will this be a speech about how you can help me out of my self-destructive inclinations?" Perversely despite the serious nature of everything that had happened, she enjoyed the way his mouth opened and shut without speaking. Finally she sighed at him. "Please understand. I would appreciate the effort towards any female who might be in distress. Believe it or not, _Wayne_ would appreciate the effort you are putting out, if it were towards a female who needed it." She stepped up close enough to him that he couldn't look elsewhere. "Sergeant major Sneeden would rather let me rip off his testicles than mistreat me. He doesn't intimidate me into dating him. He's never harmed me. He's never going to harm me. I'm not abused, coerced or frightened. Whatever you believe he is or was.. you're wrong. Wayne is a good person." Her eyes searched his for some hint of acceptance and found none. "Well, that's all I really have to say." She started to turn away and then leaned in right next to his shoulder. "Except that if you _are_ trying to harm Wayne, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and make you beg me to kill you. I promise that." She turned and stepped away, reaching to place a gentle hand on Beach's chest, stopping him from moving forward. "It's fine, Wayne. Nothing.. nothing at all." She turned and stood to deliberately align herself with him.

Amore's jaw clenched and he watched her. "I've done nothing wrong." His tight controlled voice sounded quiet as he spoke only to the two of them. "I know what you've done and what you've no doubt continued to do under cover of your rank. You watch yourself because you will go down sooner or later." He turned to walk away and pointed at Benny as he did. "You watch your man there."

Beach's low growl made Courtney place her hand on his arm to distract him. "Wayne let it go.. nothing you do will convince him." She tilted her face up to look him in the eye. "We'll watch your back. We could just leave tonight, go pack everything up and leave. There's no way he could get at you back at the Pitt."

BeachHead started to nod and Benny walked up. "Ditch, don't you let that uptight officer run you off Benning." Benny gave his arm a jostle. "Hell, there ain't even any proof it was him. Could actually have been some idiot sapper trainee trying to show off." He wrung his hands, uncharacteristically showing his anxiety. "Ditch.. man.. don't leave. Sarge.. Sarge has been really glad to see you around again. Hell, he was talking about trying to wrangle you a spot back on the cadre here. You know how he don't never go around pulling strings or calling in favors."

BeachHead finally turned his eyes from the departing Warrant officer and sighed at his old friend. "Ahh hell Benny. I can't come back." He sighed and looked at Courtney for a moment. "We ain't got but one more day here.. maybe we should just leave."

Courtney watched Benny's face go quiet and she shook her head. "No, it's one more day Beach." Giving a uncaring shrug of her shoulders that completely belied her inner misgivings, she sniffed haughtily. "That piece of work can't shine your boots, Beach. Let him skulk around and give you dirty looks. We can just watch our backs. No one will get close enough to try anything as long as we're on our guard, right?"

Beach gave a snort and then elbowed her. "Mah own little guard dog. Yer right, we ain't leavin'. Besides.. we ain't had a night out with Sarge and Benny." He reached out to thump Benny soundly. "You and Sarge will come out tonight right? Ain't got other plans you can't break?"

Benny looked relieved and nodded at him. "Hell yeah. I'll pick up Sarge. Our regular place? They still got the best burgers and the only decent music in town." He suddenly looked over at Courtney. "She ain't one of them headbangers is she?"

"I am not and I'll thank you to ask me instead of acting like I can't answer for myself." She poked him in the chest. "And I'll guess it's going to be some hokey country bar with sawdust and spit on the floor and caterwauling music playing for a hoedown?"

Both men protested, shaking their heads. "No.. no no.." "No way.. totally.. not.. uhh..." Then they looked at each other. Beach drew in a breath. "Well.. no one _spits_ on the floor... usually..."

She rolled her eyes at them both. "Ranger man.. you _owe_ me." He looked uncertain and she pointed. "You owe me. We get to go to a place that I pick at a point later in time." She tilted her head slightly and smiled. "And in return not only will I go to your country hick bar.. I'll wear my jeans and boots."

Beach put a hand over his eyes. "The jeans that look like ya painted 'em on? Do ya want me to get into fistfights?"

She wriggled in a completely distracting way. "Yes. I do. Seeing my man all up in someone's face over me is very endearing."

Benny's eyebrows had risen to his hairline. "Painted on jeans?" He stepped quickly away as Beach turned to him. "I'll behave." He leveled a finger at the larger Ranger in warning. "Don't you go whapping me just for looking either. If she puts it out there, I get to look at it."

Beach gave her a baleful look. "See? Already."

She reached to tug at his arm. "Well, let's go get changed.. I want to fill Lonzo in on what happened if they're back too." Benny trotted off, assuring them he would fill Sarge in on the events and meet them at the bar. "Beach.. don't think I'm not taking this serious."

He nodded and motioned her towards the path up the hill. "I know. Ain't much we can go doin' about it.. but you see now? I'm not crazy... someone's been after me."

She got a grim look. "Yeah well, he ain't about to get you. Not with the two of us on watch. If it is weaselly Amore, he won't get within twenty feet of you without us spotting him."

* * *

End chapter

Well, well... has Beach been having the worst run of luck since Job? Or is someone attempting to off our Favorite Ranger for things he was accused of years ago? Or is it something else?

Tune in next time for a night out with our favorite guest Rangers. There will be a possibility of singing, dancing, beer and mayhem. Also.. Courtney in tight jeans in a bar full of Army guys. That would be the "mayhem" part, right there.

Thank you all for reading!


	31. Wherein BeachHead dances

Chapter 31

Sorry for the wait! Life happens, laptop virused, but here's the next chapter. Barring unforseen circumstances, the next chapter will be up on schedule next friday!

* * *

Stalker had been doubtful when presented with the facts of the incident. After talking it over with both BeachHead and Covergirl, he finally admitted it was suspicious. He had immediately discarded the suggestion of leaving Fort Benning however.

"If someone is trying to hit you, Beach, they won't be able to attempt anything once you're back at the Pitt. You'll never have a chance to find out WHO it is if they don't make another attempt. That's IF someone is trying to bump you off... and this isn't just an example of your infamously bad luck at staying out of trouble." Stalker paused and exchanged a look with Lydia who raised an eyebrow. "I can make certain to stick by you.. .watch your back while we're still here."

The words made Lydia's gaze narrow and Beach looked from her to Stalker and back. "Ahh.. nooo. I think maybe not." He tried to figure out the safe path through the offer and turned to Courtney instead. "What do you think?"

She shook her head at his cop-out. "Stalker, I'm sure you and Lydia would rather carry out your own plans. I'll be with Beach.. Sarge and Benny will be around too. If there is someone carrying a grudge against our Sergeant major, that should be enough eyes to scare them off or spot them if they get close."

Stalker relaxed just a bit. "Well, it's not like I won't change my plans.. but I just can't think of anyone who would want to kill Beach.. at least... not in the middle of Fort Benning. Even if it was Coo... uhh.. one of our more usual opponents, why wait for Fort Benning? Even a ninja would probably choose somewhere better... not that we have any ninja roaming about coming after Beach." His rushed addition made Beach's brow furrow a bit. "Come on... don't get all paranoid on us now."

Courtney snorted rather loudly at that. "He can't help being paranoid, you know that."

Beach grunted at her. "Ain't paranoia when folks is out to get ya." His eyes fastened on Stalker's. "And I can think of a ninja with a shuriken to grind.."

Stalker's voice was firm. "It wouldn't happen. You know that, you were there when he said it." His glance at Lydia was quick but reminded them of the need to keep daily facts of GI Joe life quiet even to his own spouse. "It's probably just a series of unfortunate mishaps, but I'm not leaving you to wander about by yourself tomorrow."

Courtney huffed. "He won't exactly be by himself.."

Stalker waved apologetically. "No offense, but you can't be up near him during the ceremony, during the set up or the immediate after. Once the thing is over, you'll be right there too, but you won't be able to do much from the audience and you're not a Ranger to be any closer."

She crossed her arms but looked pacified. "The more eyes the better. One more day and we're back at the base where we belong, no more worries."

Lydia tilted her head slightly. "Well I guess we'll be hanging out with you two." Her brilliant smile flashed suddenly. "Where are we going for dinner?" She nudged Stalker with one elbow. "Should we make BeachHead buy our dinner too?"

Beach snorted at her. "Ahhh look... it ain't that I don't appreciate the offer." His nervous glance to Lydia only took a fraction of a second. "But... uhh.. Benny and Sarge are gonna be there tonight, they know what's been goin' on. I don't think I'd need a whole platoon of Rangers watchin' my back at a local bar." He looked uncomfortable. "Ain't used to no bunch of folks wantin' to guard me.. I'm usually the one doin' the guardin', you know?"

Stalker grinned easily. "Well.. if you have two Ranger buddies that will keep an eye out... I'll still stick nearby tomorrow. And if it makes you uncomfortable too, well that's just gravy on top, isn't it?" He turned a somber look on his wife. "You know Lydia.. maybe I should get some dark glasses and a black suit... I could walk right behind Beach's elbow everywhere he goes.. taste his coffee first... you know.. just in case."

Lydia shook her head. "Darling, I love you. Do we need to escort Mr V.I.P. here to his bar.. or will he be okay in the car with just the bombshell?" She winked at Courtney who rolled her eyes. "We're going to need to leave soon to get to our reservation. We are headed out to a five star restaurant and dinner theater. It's not a honky tonk bar.. but I feel we'll still manage to enjoy." She ducked as Courtney shook her fist at her in mock anger. "Oh I know.. you're sooo lucky to get to go out to the local watering hole, maybe you'll get to try their moonshine."

Courtney snorted at her. "I hope they have moonshine.. if I drink some of that I might go deaf enough to ignore the music."

Beach snorted at both of them. "Some folks appreciate good music. But ya'll have fun out at the fancy eatin' establishment." He thumped Stalker rather solidly on the back. "I bet yer just itchin' to get all gussied up and get on yer way. We won't keep ya."

Stalker's forlorn sigh made Beach look happier. Stalker turned and shooed Lydia in front of him. "Like you said honey.. we're going to be late. Wouldn't want to be late.. we might miss something." He glared at his two friends who were both grinning at his discomfit. "Don't get mugged or anything, that'd just upset me to know you didn't enjoy your night out, because you're my friends and I want to know you had fun out on your night." He closed their door firmly behind himself, shutting his two friends out.

BeachHead laughed and shook his head motioning to their room to encourage Courtney to go in. She entered and let him latch the door, simply watching him laugh. "You know.. I never see you laugh at things like this."

He shrugged. "Well, Stalker don't usually act all kinds of pussywhipped at the Pitt." A soft cough and he arranged his features back into the more usual serious expression.

She sighed. "I didn't mean for you to stop laughing Beach. There's plenty of funny things to laugh at in the Pitt, you just don't usually seem to relax and joke with anyone." Reaching to strip off her shirt, she pulled out her clothing for the evening, including the tight jeans that Beach viewed with both anticipation and dread. "I'll just be a minute... " Disappearing into the bath, she clicked the door shut and Beach shook his head

"Somehow I don't think my problems are gonna be folks tryin' to kill me... somehow I see me gettin' trampled as they try to get to her." Sighing heavily, he pulled off his own clothing to change quickly.

* * *

CoverGirl blinked long lashes at her reflection and tilted her face side to side. She didn't get to wear make up very often anymore and she was happy to see she hadn't lost her touch. Just a few enhancing bits here and there satisfied her. It was odd that she'd distanced herself so far from her modeling days but now she still enjoyed a bit of dress-up and making herself up nicely on the rare occasion. Looking nice for Wayne was simply a bonus.

She turned and posed at him as he was fiddling with the cuffs of his button up shirt. He had issues with them being snug and fussed with them a lot. Of course, it was almost snug across the broad shoulders too, too much muscle to be contained by mere fabric. She held in the giggle because telling him why she was laughing would only result in him scowling at her foolishness.

He looked over at her and then stared. "Courtney.. you... ahhh.. look good." She turned around to show off the tight jeans and low cut blouse and enjoyed how he tensed up. "Gawd... how are them jeans not splittin' at the seams?" Beach stepped forward and brushed a hand over the smooth lines of her rear. She turned to face him, placing her arms over his shoulders and smiling playfully as she leaned back a bit. His gaze traveled down to the exposed cleavage and he sighed heavily. "You know... we could just.."

She shook a finger under his nose. "Don't you suggest we stay here and fuck like bunnies Wayne. We're going out."

He gave the cleavage another long look anyway. "But when we come back to the room...?"

"Yes, then we can fuck like bunnies." She pressed herself against him and wriggled her hips to grind against him. "That should get you started up."

"Baby... " His eyes closed for a few seconds. "You rev mah engines just standin' there."

She smiled. "Well let's throw you into gear and get moving!" When she headed for the door instead of the bed, he sighed and followed behind her.

When they arrived at the bar, Courtney wasn't smiling. "Wayne.. seriously? It's like a shanty... the building isn't abandoned?" He snorted and she continued. "No really... it's going to fall over if there's a stiff breeze."

"It ain't never fallen over yet.. it's fine." He held out a hand and drew her in close to his side as they walked up to the entrance. "Thanks fer comin' out here. I know it ain't yer usual shindig."

She gave him a significant look. "Beach.. I don't even have 'shindigs'. I'm not certain I know what a 'shindig' even entails. You owe me. But I'm sure it'll be fun." She hugged his arm and stepped inside. "Oh look! HI BENNY!" She walked away across the wood floor towards his two old friends who'd already found a table. Courtney tried not to wince at the loud country music playing from the far side of the bar. "Sarge... Benny. Wow.. honky tonk. I don't think I've ever seen such a … rustic bar..."

Benny grinned over at Sarge. "Aww.. look at the city gal. She's all lost. I'll have to help guide her around.." Sarge snorted and pushed a cold glass of beer over to her.

Beach echoed the snort as he walked up to pull out a chair for her to sit down. "I'll be doin' any guidin' of her, Benny." He settled into his own chair and accepted a frosted mug of beer. "Only one fer me... less'n the gal only wants one..." He raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged.

Benny leaned on his elbows on the table and raised his eyebrows at them both. "So... I don't even get a dance? Come on Ditch... I can't dance with her... just once?" His foot was tapping along with the currently playing song.

His good nature made Beach relax back in his chair. "Ask her... she makes up her own mind." He turned to Sarge. "Did you hear about the explosion down at the room clearin' course? Still wanna say it's an accident?" His posture almost managed to say it was a casual question. It probably would have fooled anyone except the three people seated at the table.

Sarge grunted and glanced around to see that no one was within listening distance before responding. "I agree it's over the top. Of course... Ranger Week is full of over the top incidents. I don't know, but it is suspicious. I don't want you automatically blaming Amore. He didn't have any way to say which parachute you would pick. He didn't check out any of the big trucks. And the man isn't a Sapper. He might hate you and think you're scum.. but I don't think he'd go and try to murder you." Sarge fiddled with his beer mug a moment. "It's not that I think you're paranoid..."

Courtney snorted loudly. "But he's paranoid. But that doesn't mean that he's wrong to be paranoid."

Beach decided to ignore that. "Sarge.. I ain't crazy. Amore was there when I got on the plane, he turned in keys to a truck.. and he was down at the courses before and then showed up right after it happened. He's the only guy at Benning I can think of that would have a grudge against me! Who else? He don't need Sapper tabs to stick a few wires in a lump of C4."

Benny tapped the table a few times. "Ditch.. just.. " He sighed. "I know we had a hand in making you this paranoid, but can you try to just put it aside and enjoy some good company? Here you are with a drop dead gorgeous woman.." His wave indicated Courtney and then gave the fresh mug of beer towards Beach. ".. a cold beer.. good music and some old buds to hang out with." When Beach nudged the mug a little and didn't comment, Benny tapped the table louder. "Hey.. come on. Ain't you glad to see us at all? You've avoided us long enough to make me think you might not want to hang out with your old crew."

Beach protested. "Hell Benny.. you know that ain't true. I can't come jumpin' out here on a whim.. you know that."

Benny nodded at Sarge. "Maybe so.. I bet as a Sergeant major you could ask to be reassigned back to Benning though."

Courtney saw his jaw tighten but his tone became casual. Beach shook his head dismissively. "Benny, hell... my C.O. ain't about to just up and send me back to Benning. Besides... I'm needed where I'm at. If I came back here... I'd just be doing the same stuff that any good instructor could do." He gave Benny a half-grin. "Hell, they got you Benny... why'd they want my ass back here?"

Sarge laughed easily. "Maybe because you could see over the recruits' heads. I know I could pull a few strings if you wanted to come back... just keep that in mind. But for now..." He lifted his mug. "To our old team, may they rest in peace."

All the glasses were raised and clinked around on each other. "Rest in peace brothers." Benny echoed Beach's words and Courtney nodded solemnly. The tank jockey made a face as she drank down a few swallows of the beer. "What's wrong? Don't like good beer?"

She coughed and wiped at her upper lip. "Well, I'd hardly know since I'm not drinking good beer.." Sarge tried to take the mug away from her and she hung on to it. "Hey... it's better than no beer!" Benny laughed at her and she made a face at him. "I need the beer to get me in the mood to listen to your cowpoke music."

Beach smiled indulgently and used a loud whisper to Benny. "She don't have good taste in music but she sure is pretty." She punched at his arm making him yelp and block the next two. "Hey I said yer pretty!"

Benny reached to take her by the wrist and drag her away. "Come on... stop beating on Ditch and show me how good you can dance instead!" Beachhead tensed but when Courtney simply laughed and went along with him, he settled back to watch.

Sarge gazed at him for a long moment, drained part of his glass and set it down firmly. "So, you're smitten."

Beach rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone gotta use that word?" He drank a sip of his own beer, traced some of the water droplets on the table, then couldn't help but look back over to the dance floor where Benny was showing off to the lithe mechanic and making her laugh. Sarge's amused snort made him look back sheepishly. "Sorry."

Sarge let out a sigh. "Ahhh... he finally grows up." He shook his head and smiled at the eye rolling. "I'm happy for you, really. You picked a really nice girl. Odd, but nice. And she's one good looking woman too. You'll have to watch your temper around her." he warned.

Beach flared. "What's that supposed to mean? I've never..."

Sarge cut him off unapologetically. "I mean that there's going to be a hundred other guys vying to pay court to her. It's only natural and you can't beat them all up just for looking at those legs, those really nice tits... or that truly spectacular ass..."

"SARGE! DAMN IT!" Beach went red. "Stop it! Don't talk about her like that!"

Sarge sat back looking satisfied. "See? And you know I'm trustworthy around her. What's going to happen when you two are around regular grunts or god forbid, some civilians?" He gave a nod over at the pair gyrating wildly on the dance floor. Beach watched them, almost automatically noting that Benny wasn't taking too many liberties with her. Then he caught himself. It wasn't as if it was his decision to say how much someone could... touch her... or look at her. Evidently his chagrin plain on his face and Sarge pointed at him. "Now... don't forget it. She's plenty capable of telling a guy to shove off if she wants to. I'm not saying you should let someone paw over her while she's protesting it.. although I suspect any guy attempting such would end up clutching his balls on the floor if he tried.. but getting your hackles up every time a grunt gives her ass a good long look isn't going to work. Not for you. Not for her."

Beach thought it over. "I'm still gonna want to twist their heads off like pop bottle tops." He gave a sigh of resignation. "Sarge, how'm I supposed to just let guys fawn over her? She's _mine_." Fully aware that it sounded sulky as he said it, he continued. "It ain't half fair that I gotta let guys drool all over my gal when I wasn't allowed to even LOOK at one..." He shut up abruptly. "Never mind. It don't matter."

Sarge nodded his head over at the dance floor. "Quit whining and go enjoy her. Who cares if other guys look? You're the one _she_ looks at... and that's what matters. Go make them all jealous."

Beach got up, looking embarrassed and uncertain. Sarge pointed again and he ducked his head and walked over to Courtney. The pair was laughing together about something as the song ended. He watched her resting her hand on Benny's arm, smiling and nodding to whatever he was saying. A flash of jealousy passed quickly. He shouldered Benny aside. "Hey.. you got a dance... what? Now you want more?"

Benny easily read him as joking instead of actually jealous. "Yeah? Well, you weren't stepping up to the plate... in fact you weren't stepping at all. Sitting your fat butt over at the table from what I was seeing." The smaller Ranger poked him in the chest. "If you're gonna dance with your woman, you gotta get up and do it!"

Beach loomed over Benny with no effect. He snorted loudly. "I'll dance with her... soon as you get outa the way, pipsqueek." He elbowed Benny lightly, only for him to duck under the arm and shoulder Beach backwards. "Hey hey! I said it's mah turn... she's mah gal..."

"Yeah yeah... she wants to dance with someone who knows how to move his feet." Benny grinned and slid his feet sideways in quick steps as the next song began it's fast beat. "Let's see if you can still keep up, fat butt!"

Courtney shook her head at the two of them. "Hey come on, Wayne doesn't get many chances to dance... he might be out of practice!" She was ignored as the song began in earnest and Benny clapped his hands at Beachhead standing with folded arms.

Benny's grin grew larger. "Come on Ditch... show it. Did you forget how to do anything but march?" The heel of his boot slammed into the floor fractions of a second before the other foot slapped twice and he stepped off neatly perfectly in time with the music. Courtney raised both hands in query at Beach as the slightly built Ranger turned in a complex series of a country dance. Benny swirled his hands and pointed at Beach in challenge even as he never missed a step.

"Yer a bastard." Beach suddenly slid sideways to take up the same pattern, his heavy combat boots making a duller snap as they hit the boards of the floor. The movements were every bit as precise as Benny's though. "Benny, you got no idea how much I'll suffer when she starts crowin' about me dancin' on vacation."

Courtney stared at the pair of them stomping out the complex steps to the blaring country music and felt her eyebrows rising. "Wayne? I..."

He pointed at her warningly. "Don't ya start." He twisted around, matching Benny's smooth turn. "Wait, ya know what? In fact... ya should start..." Without warning, his next step took him close enough to snag her arms and lift her in a swirl, setting her onto her feet between the two of them. "Come on... step step..." She laughed and tried to pull away protesting that she had no idea how to step-dance to country music. "Oh no, you gotta dance at a 'hoedown'. That's what you said this was... come on.. it ain't hard." He gave her a push sideways as they moved, keeping her between them. "Step left, left, left.. kick out.. come on.. try harder.. it ain't complex.." He was grinning at her half-hearted attempts and she was so pleased to see him happy that she put all her efforts in trying to figure out which way to go next.

Benny kept laughing at her and grasped her arm to tug her along as they moved sideways. "This way... your other left..." She struggled to keep up as they easily preformed the complex steps.

Beach took pity on her confusion. "It's a repeatin' pattern girl... look... " As he moved easily, almost automatically stepping through the jig. "And... again..." She finally got it and when he said "Annd again." she joined in. All three of them were laughing by the time the music stopped and she hugged Beach around his neck. "Aww see? I knew yer quick wits would kick in."

Benny laughed at them. "Was that a... pun? From Ditch? Did the Ditch-diver tell a joke?" He was hugged quickly by Courtney as well.

Beach grimmed up to a completely sober face in an instant. "A'course not. Ah ain't gotta sense of humor. All mah recruits'll tell ya so." Courtney rolled her eyes and laughed at him and he broke to give her a wicked grin. "Courtney'll tell ya... Ah don't play no pranks, no jokes..."

"You!" She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Wayne, you sir, you are going to get hit by lightning if you keep telling such huge fibs." She thoroughly enjoyed his hands stroking down her sides.

He bent to look into her eyes, his own bright with mischief that he rarely indulged in. "Ahhh darlin', it's worth the risk if'n it makes ya smile so pretty." Tilting his head, he listened to the music beginning with a new song. "Are you too tired? This is a slow one.." He took her hand in his as she placed her other onto his shoulder. "I'll try not to step on yer feet too much."

She smiled and rested her head onto his shoulder. "No, I'll never be too tired to be with you." Her voice became amused. "So when were you going to reveal you actually know how to dance?" Courtney let her fingers toy with Beach's as they moved slowly around the heavy plank floor to the sedate music. A slow dance was a slow dance, no matter the style. Her feet moved easily as she let Beach lead her. "I never thought I'd be dancing with you."

"No?" Beach inhaled deeply with his nose almost in her hair. "You smell good." He turned them slightly and then pressed his lips to her forehead lightly. "Ah know lots of stuff Ah ain't told you. Gotta keep a few secrets so you don't get all bored with me."

* * *

End Chapter

Yes. BeachHead dances. If you've read my other works, there's one other time when he's seen to dance, briefly. I hope this is entertaining you! Thank you all for the continueing feedback and encouragement, especially to CrystalofEllinon, Totenkinder, and Karama9. Check out their fics too, because they have some really awesome ones up!


	32. And There's More!

Even though the laptop isn't back yet, I'm plugging along! I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying. I forgot to mention last chapter, I'm actually born-bred-living Southern myself. I'm also basing the fact that Beachhead is highly intelligent on the canon character from both comics and cartoons. Just because he's brash, smelly, yells and has a heavy accent doesn't mean he's dumb.

I really appreciate all the reviews. It's always good to see a subtle point is seen by a reader. If you sign in to review, I always try to send a reply, especially if you ask questions. I hope you're all ready as this starts to wind down to the end soon. On to the story!

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Chap 32

Benny sighed and settled with a pair of beers with Sarge. "You know, I think he's finally picked himself out a nice girl." His gaze grew worried. "Do you think he'll ever come back to Benning? It'd be better if he was stationed here, we could use him in the training cadre."

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Sarge watched the pair dancing slowly on the nearly empty dance floor. "I doubt it. He's got a good post, he hasn't said much, but I can tell he's not looking to transfer anytime soon. And he was helping run a training jump a few months ago over Benning. So it's not like he's stuck doing paperwork. I don't think you should expect Sneeden to transfer back here anytime soon." He gave a sigh of disappointment. "Besides, there's nothing on Benning the two of us can't handle, right?" His expression of amusement was only slightly forced.

Benny nodded and clapped his sergeant on the arm. "Yeah, you're right. The two of us can run Benning. If old Ditch comes back one day, that'd be great." His head turned to gaze at the couple again. "He sure does look happy. I don't think I've seen him look really happy for a long time."

Sarge nodded. "She's good for him. His posting must be good too. He looks fit even if he's carrying a bunch of new scars." Benny didn't miss how Sarge unconsciously shifted his bad leg and winced. "We'll just fuss at him about keeping in touch better. Only three of us left now."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be better about staying in touch now." Benny twisted to scoot his chair around noisily. "Rendezvous week is almost over. I think I'm glad. There's been more crazy this year than usual."

Sarge laughed loudly. "You should know, you're usually in the midst of any craziness going on!" They both laughed. Sarge turned as BeachHead and Courtney returned to the table. "And there's our Ditch and his pretty lady corporal. You guys ready for another beer?"

Beach shook his head ruefully. "Naw.. gotta drive us back later and can't risk gettin' pulled over with alcohol in me. My C.O. would come down here and pin my ears back but good!" He settled at the table only to have Courtney sit in his lap. "Whut are ya doin', woman! Sit in yer chair." He lifted her and dumped her onto her chair. "Dang... ain't got no call to be.."

Sarge had his head in his hands as he laughed. "Oh.. oh that's our Ditch." His shoulders shook with laughter. "I guarantee any man here would beg for the opportunity to have Corporal Krieger sit in their lap... and you push her off!"

Benny spread his arms and motioned enthusiastically at Courtney. "Oh HELL yeah! I got a lap right here.. no waiting!"

She contented herself with rolling her eyes at both of them. "Oh you guys stop. I only did it to irk him. Beach has never been much for public displays of affection... I didn't expect him to suddenly decide it was a grand idea." Settling into her chair, she accepted an offer of a new frosty beer and sipped at it. "I never would have guessed you guys were such good dancers. Not my usual form of dancing, but it was fun."

All four of them relaxed, Beach fending off her occasional attempts to tweak his ear or poke at him and Benny entertaining them all with tales of the day's trainee mishaps. Sarge told them how he'd spent an hour standing in between some civilians and the gun range, since one of them seemed convinced that it would be okay to stand in front of the rifle line to take pictures.

Sarge's distaste was evident in his tone. "Like that fancy camera was gonna stop the bullets? I was about to pick him up by his ears and pitch him out the front gates. Damn civies."

BeachHead snorted. "I don't miss dealing with the civies on Benning at all. We don't get many civies to deal with at... on our base. Hella easier just havin' a bunch of grunts to order around. At least they understand that guns shoot bullets what don't care who they hit. Some of the damn civies seem to think they'll curve around 'em if'n they ain't got a uniform on."

Courtney reached to pat his arm. "Oh now come on, civilians have their uses. I never have many issues with any civilians."

He raised one eyebrow in a wry expression of disbelief. "Oh really? Who run over that whole line of traffic in a Mauler? Cause it sure as hell weren't me."

She shifted around in her chair while Benny and Sarge laughed uproariously, trying to keep her dignity. "Well they shouldn't have dissed the Army or called me a 'Playboy bunny in camo' when I needed to move the tank in a hurry. It was an accident."

Beach snorted loudly. "Accident my ass, you backed over the Datsun twice."

"He was an asshole!" She nodded at Sarge to enlist him on her side of the argument. "It's permitted to run over a civilian vehicle when it's needed to ensure the security of the team, right Sarge?" She reached to poke his arm. "Tell Beach it's permitted."

Beach butted in. "Security of the dang team? We was putting on a display for a town festival! Ain't like there was some firefight goin' on!" He turned to Benny. "If'n ya think keepin' a buncha recruits in line is tough, ya'll oughta try corrallin' this'un. She's ten times the trouble of any five others."

The rough voice that came from a few feet away sounded pretty intoxicated. "Well now, if she's that much trouble, I'd take her off your hands." Beach stood up in a fluid movement, turning to step in front of the approaching Army grunt. "Whoa... hey settle down there big bad Ranger asshole. You were saying she's trouble, she's willing to party with whoever is free and wants to party, I saw her dancing with the runt there earlier. So get out of my way." He reached to put a hand on Beach's arm to shove him aside and then snarled as Beach swatted it away. "Back off.. you knuckle-dragging apes have caused enough uproar on base.. time for you to sit down a while."

Beach lowered his shoulders and growled softly. "Ain't no one takin' her nowhere. The lady is with me."

The half-drunk soldier stepped back a little, glaring. "Well she was dancing like she wanted anyone in the damn bar to come party on the damned floor."

Beach shifted forward just enough to make it clear that he wasn't going to back down no matter what argument was brought up. His ability to intimidate nearly anyone of any size meant he should be able to get this situation over and done without a barroom brawl breaking out. As long as everyone kept their cool...

"Fuck you! I can dance with whoever I want! And I wouldn't dance with you if you were the LAST MAN ON EARTH!" Courtney was advancing around the table, pushing her sleeves up and red-faced with anger. "No one is going to try to tell me I was inviting attention! I was dancing with MY friend and MY boyfriend! So you can kiss my ass!"

Now the drunk sneered at her while Beach sighed and put out a hand to motion her back to the table. "Courtney.. just sit down, it's just a misunderstanding.."

Breaking in to his reasonable calm request, the drunken soldier loudly spoke over him. "Well, maybe I WANT to kiss your ass. How much do you charge for THAT as opposeded for what you charge for just 'dancing'? Did you give them a two-for-one deal?"

Beach saw red and turned to grab at him but switched in mid-stride to loop one arm around Courtney as she flung herself at her opponent. "COURTNEY! Stop it!" She twisted around his arm, still headed for a fight. "Damn it!" He snatched her arm and dragged her back as she kicked and flailed trying to get a blow in on the now-laughing drunk.

"LEMME GO! I'm gonna beat his ass!" She spat and jerked, jumping in his grip trying to free herself. "THAT'S THE LAST GODDAMN TIME SOMEONE IMPLIES I'M A WHORE! You're DEAD! Bastard! Let go dammit!"

The third time she kicked his shin with the heel of her western boots, Beach picked her up bodily and tucked her under one arm, ignoring her thrashing about. He pointed at the guy who'd stopped laughing. "Look. If'n Ah didn't hafta keep her outa trouble, you'd be meat onna ground ya worthless pogue!"

Sarge and Benny stepped up and Sarge waved the Army guy to leave. "Take off. I'm not going to spend all night filling out MP reports. I'll just bash you in the skull and dump you in the edge of town naked without an ID and let you find your way back to barracks on your own. Got it?"

Taking in the heavy limp and ignoring the Ranger tab and sergeant's stripes, the private stood upright and sneered. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try it."

Benny cracked his knuckles and smiled. "Oh.. I love it when they're stupid. Can I take him down, Sarge? I promise this time I won't accidentally kill him."

Glancing down at the smaller but menacing Benny and up at the powerfully built Sergeant Green, the drunk finally had enough of his soused brain cells respond to shake his head and back up. "No no.. I'm good... she isn't worth the trouble anyway." He backed up towards the door and then turned to leave, two of his friends who'd been wisely standing back leaving with him.

Benny turned and bumped fists with Sarge, all grins and good nature again. "Man, what a pissant. They never seem to take us up on stuff, do they Sarge?"

Green snorted at him and went back to sit at the table, watching the continuing antics of Beach with Courtney with amusement. "Yeah, you'd better be glad. They might actually kick you around one of these times. He was twice your size." His wicked smile appeared before Benny could protest. "Good thing you're five times as evil and nasty as he'd ever hope to be, huh?"

"Heh.. hell yeah." Benny stood with his arms crossed watching the pair struggling still. "She sure is a little hellcat isn't she?"

Beach put Courtney back onto her feet, taking her by her arms and giving her a shake. "Dammit! Stop kickin' me!"

She landed another well-aimed boot to his upper shin, just missing his kneecap and making him jump on one leg a moment. "If you'd turn me loose I wouldn't kick you! Let me go, I'm going to go find that bastard and kick his ass! You have no right to stop me! I can take care of myself and finish my own fights! LET GO!"

He tightened his grip and jerked a leg out of the way of another kick. "Girl! Stop it! You ain't leavin' and Ah ain't turnin' loose lessen ya agree that yer stayin' put!"

"You unhand that woman right now, Sneeden!" The angry voice of Warrant officer Amore made Beach twist around, wisely still keeping a hand on one of Courtney's upper arms so she didn't try anything REALLY stupid. "I know you've been used to getting away with your behavior wherever you've been based, but you're NOT going to manhandle a woman in public on Fort Benning!"

Beach snapped off a salute, even though technically he wasn't in uniform and wasn't on duty. Better safe than sorry at the best of times. "Sir, I'm not 'manhandlin' no one.. she's just.."

He was interrupted. "I can see YOU think it's just find to put hands on a woman this way, but let me assure you that I will have you locked in the Benning stockade by morning and I WILL see you stripped of all rank and brought up on charges! Once it's clear what kind of predator you really are, we'll just see how you manage to weasel out of your just punishment!" Amore's righteous anger was very clear.

Beach turned on him. "No... that's enough." Every hint of his accent had disappeared, the one sure sign that Wayne Sneeden had Had Enough and had decided to become epicly pissed off. "I have listened to you disparage my character for years. I. Have. Had. Enough."

Courtney stepped up behind him to talk over his shoulder. "Yeah! If Beach was.."

He twisted around and pointed at a chair next to where Sarge and Benny were both standing ready to do whatever was needed. "Sit the fuck DOWN, Krieger."

She sat down. Later she'd realize she didn't remember actually deciding to go sit, nor would she remember getting to the chair. Her instincts had appropriated control of her body and moved her to where the large scary thing had instructed her to go. She'd be pissed about that later. Right now, she was just quiet.

Beach had turned his steely attention back to Amore who had taken the few seconds to try regrouping. Beach didn't let him get set before he stepped up nose to nose. "You've been dogging me since you got on Benning the first god damn time. Everyone who knows has told you I never did a damn thing to that recruit that she didn't offer. I might have slept with her, but by god I never raped her. If you had half a working brain cell you'd know she did the same stupid ploy on a major a year later and he booted her ass out of the Army on a dishonorable discharge."

Amore sputtered and found his voice. "Just because one of your cronies brought that poor woman up on charges doesn't mean you didn't rape her! And I've just witnessed you restraining Corporal Krieger in public!"

Beach pushed forward again, backed the other man up a step. "Yeah, I was restraining her from starting a fight with a soldier three times her size because he called her a hooker. I did the same damn thing I'd have done if it was Corporal Farner or even Sergeant Green or you. And if she starts to try to deck a guy again, I'll restrain her again."

Trying one last time, Amore gritted his teeth and shoved forward with his chest pushing against BeachHead's. The Ranger stood firm showing no effort to resist the other man's attempt to physically move him. "You're not fooling me! I will see you in the stockade. I will see you removed from whatever post you've wrangled out of your buddies!"

Beach started moving forward, shoving the warrant officer along as he walked steadily towards the doorway. "You know what? Arrest me. Right god damn now. And I'm going to bring YOU up on charges of harassment and conduct unbecoming an officer for how you've followed me around trying to figure some way to take me down. You've had it in for me for years. I spent a god damn fucking YEAR paying for that one night's mistake in thinking some gal wanted me for me instead of it being some trick to get her a promotion. I've given blood, sweat and tears to the military and I've never asked for nothing back. And as GOD as my witness, I will fucking take you down if you don't BACK THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"

Standing practically in the doorway, Amore hissed at Beach. "I will see you charged, and that girlfriend of yours thrown out of the Army on a dishonorable discharge for fucking a superior!"

BeachHead seemed to swell up larger as he loomed suddenly over the warrant officer. "You touch Krieger in any way, and I Will. End. You."

Amore suddenly found himself simultaneously needing to take in a breath of air and urinate urgently. His voice squeeked out of his throat. "..you're threatening me..."

The low rumble sounded like an approaching hellstorm. "I. Don't. Threaten."

Struggling to keep from clawing at the door, Amore got a hand on the knob and turned it behind himself, stepping out and slamming it shut in Beach's face. The pissed off Ranger stood for a moment breathing in deeply, struggling to contain the anger that wanted him to turn into a alpha primate and chase down his opponent and tear off his testicles to shove down his throat. Each breath he took in cooled his temper and brought him back to a more coherent state. He hated getting truly angry. He could shout and scream and fume all day but to get him worked up to the point of nearly murdering a person in cold blood took a lot more than anyone serving with him would believe.

"Sneeden, you alright... ? I ain't gonna have to sit on you, am I?" Sarge, one of those few who would know about it, put a cautious hand up without touching him. "You going to come sit down or are you going to turn green and go rampaging around?"

Snorting softly, Beach clenched his fists but answered. "Ah ain't the Thing, not gonna toss cars around."

"Good god, you're hopeless. Incredible Hulk turns green. The Thing is made from orange rocks." His gestures seemed to guide Beach around towards the table, Sarge using his own body to block him from moving anywhere else.

Obeying out of habit, Beach did find a chair and sat at the table, staring at the woodgrain under his hands as he spread them flat on the surface. "You're tryin' to distract me." He closed his eyes briefly. "Ah'm gonna end up killin' the stupid bastard one day."

Benny reached out to slap his shoulder. "No you won't. You'll probably pummel him into warrant officer jam, but you won't actually kill him. If you killed him, you'd have to jar up that jam and everyone knows warrant officers is all bitter because they ain't real officers and they're not cool like NCOs."

Courtney sounded hesitant. "Well.. that would explain Flint..." She gave a faint smile when she saw the corner of his lip twitch upwards. "Are you okay?" Scooting her chair over next to him, she lightly brushed his forearm with her hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

He exhaled roughly. "Stop. Wasn't yer fault. 'Sides, I told ya I like yer spunk." He took a deep breath. "It ain't like that just made the idiot set against me. He's just been looking for excuses." He stood up. "Be back in a minute." He headed off to the washroom.

Courtney watched him and turned to look at Sarge. "Do you think he's okay?"

"He'll be fine." Sarge nodded slightly as he thought. "He just got a righteous mad on. A guy takes a bit to cool off after that. Give him some space." He straightened up. "So you've never seen the Ditch go off on a rant? Surprising if you've known him for any space of time."

She shrugged. "He's yelled, you know, about stuff. But I never saw him get_ that_ kind of mad. I've even seen him in the middle of a firefight, taking out guys like it was nothing. But it wasn't anger, just... business."

Benny gave a shrug. "Now you've seen. Does that make you rethink having him around?" Her glare made him hold up his hands. "Easy.. I had to ask, you know."

Sarge gave a snort at them both. "I think they're meant to be together. One's too hard-headed to back down, the other's too set on having him."

One of the wailing country songs began to play loudly, making Courtney wish it wasn't impolite to stuff her fingers in her ears. To her dismay, Benny not only liked the song, he began singing along to it. As his voice warbled off key, she winced. Sarge grinned at her, although she saw his eyelid twitch when a particularly broken note raked across their eardrums. "What's wrong city girl? Don't like Benny's singing?"

She struggled to put on a brave face. "No no.. it's uhh.. it's great."

BeachHead's voice made her twist in her seat to see him back at the table. "Great fer drivin' vermin outa the walls maybe. Benny couldn't hold a note if'n ya glued it to his forehead."

Benny grinned at him. "Hey.. at least I'm consistent."

Sarge smacked the back of his head. "Consistently bad!"

Courtney watched this and finally blurted out abruptly. "Why do you sing if you KNOW you're so bad?" She swallowed as soon as the words were out, afraid she'd insulted the smaller man.

Far from being insulted, he smiled back at her. "Why sing? Cause I know the words to the song! Besides, ain't the instruction 'make a joyful noise'?" He broke out in song again as the chorus began again.

Beach sighed and gave his friend a baleful stare. "Well, ya got the 'noise' part down pat."

Courtney cajoled Beach into dancing another slow dance with her, partly because she knew she'd have precious few chances after this trip, and partly to get her abused eardrums further away from Benny's enthusiastic singing. She leaned her head against one of Beach's shoulders and snuggled into his chest. Feeling his hands encircling her, she sighed with contentment. She heard Benny hit a particularly sour note and peeped over towards the table.

"Is Sarge tonedeaf, completely deaf or just used to that?" Her soft voice carried only to Beach's ears and she felt him chuckle softly. "I don't mean any insult, but..."

"But he's terrible. We know. But hell, it's his one failin'. You can't fault him on heart. Benny is one that'd walk through fire fer a brother in arms." Beach managed to tug her closer in to his chest. "Don't you go tellin' no one.. but yer really nice to dance with." She laughed softly. "I don't wanna lose my hardass image, ya know."

"Your secret is safe with me." She smiled up at him. "Unless of course I need really good blackmail material to make you behave."

She perversely enjoyed how his forehead wrinkled up and his jaw set in annoyance. "Krieger, you chap mah ass."

"I do my bestest, Ranger man."

* * *

End Chapter

* Insert really cool author's note here about reviews making writers gleeful.


	33. Of Mornings

This begins in the motel the morning after the end of the last chapter. Sorry, no naughty scenes! Those were on the deceased laptop that's still out for repairs. Thank you again for reviewing.

Disclaimer: In case it's unclear, I don't own GI Joe nor any of the characters except for the few OCs I've made up. I make no money from this meager offering of tribute to the greatness that is GI Joe.

Yes, yes, now more story.

* * *

Courtney woke up slowly, barely becoming aware of the motel room and the blanket tucked under her arm. She smiled to herself thinking of the night before. The solid warmth and weight on her chest finally made her blink her eyes open. Twisting her head around, she peered down at her partner still soundly asleep on her right breast. Even as she watched, he drew in a slightly wheezy deep breath and let it out again. The softened lines of his face made her want to stroke her fingers over them but she hesitated to waken him. Looking over at the room's cheap clock let her know it was well past his normal wake-up time.

Beach twitched slightly and his arm tucked around her waist just a bit more snugly. His breathing settled back into the slow rhythm and the twitching stilled. Courtney smiled and relaxed back into the pillows thinking. She hadn't exactly been sleeping with Beach all that long, but in every instance that she was aware of his rising habits, whether she shared his blankets or not, he'd always... _always _been up before sunup, going for a run. Even on the rare occasions he was unable to run, he was up anyway, doing whichever exercises he was able, allowed or had space for, getting something to eat, scoping out the morning situations... something. He certainly never just continued to sleep. Of course, he didn't usually stay out until the wee hours of the morning in bars with his girlfriend and fellow Rangers either.

Laying snuggled up with him in bed was most certainly something she could easily get used to all too easily. However since he was still sleeping when she was awake, she wasn't going to let the opportunity pass her by. Reaching out slowly with her free hand, she got a secure grip on the glass of water on the bedside table and brought it around carefully so as not to jostle the bed or the sleeping man.

Holding it over his head, she tilted it bit by bit, pausing when he let out the softest of groans.

"Don't even think it, Krieger." The tone didn't quite sound fully awake but one bleary-looking brown iris peeped out from behind the sleepy eyelid. "Ah swear to gawd.. Ah'll murder ya."

She sipped a bit of the cool water and set it back in place on the table. "What? You're soo suspicious."

"Uh-hunh... right." He gave just a slight shrug all over in place of stretching and then nuzzled his face back into her chest happily. "Yer all innocence." A last grunt and he became still again, much to her confusion.

"Beach? You do realize what time it is... right?" Her fingers stroked his hair over his ear, making him twitch slightly. "Aren't you supposed to already be up and wearing your Ranger panties to go running?"

"Ain't goin'. Gonna sleep in." This time he did stretch, only to tuck himself back into place again and close his eyes determinedly. His arm slid around her ribs to tug her further under his hip as he settled.

"Sleep in?" Courtney looked at him and reached to pry open one of his eyes. "Who are you and where is the real BeachHead?"

He tilted his head to make her turn loose and grumbled. "BeachHead ain't on duty yet.. right now Ah just wanna be Wayne and Wayne wants to sleep on his girlfriend's most ample and gorgeous bosums. So just lie there and be all pillow-like." Once again the shifting about to get comfortable happened. "Ah'll try not to drool on ya..."

She giggled slightly. "Who knew? I didn't think you'd be capable of sleeping in and snuggling." He grunted in reply and she laid her cheek on the top of his head. "I like Wayne. He's warm and nice."

"Don't get too used to it." His voice was gravelly and sleepy and it was obvious he was on the edge of falling asleep again.

"I won't." She sighed happily and closed her own eyes. She'd just enjoy it while she could.

* * *

Hours later...

Courtney laughed softly as Beachhead managed to walk into the wall again. "Wayne... maybe you need some cold water on your head to wake up."

"Ah'm awake... gawd.." He reached to rub his damp hair and blinked a few times. "Ain't no wonder folks act all discomfited wakin' up late if'n this is how it makes ya feel." Her arms slipped around him and she hugged him from behind. "Course, the company is a good thing to wake up to." His smile turned to a leer as he twisted to look at her. "Course the method of waking up wasn't so bad neither."

She squeezed again until she felt him wince. "Which time? When I was going to pour water on you.. or when I ..."

He coughed and pulled away. "Ahh.. the second.. second time.. yeah. And 'sides.. what made ya think pourin' water on my head was a nice thing to do? Really? Here I'm bein' snuggley and sleepy and good to ya.. and yer gonna pour water on my head? That just ain't right Courtney." He tried to pout, failed miserably and gave up when she laughed at his attempt. "Yer just a cruel woman."

"Well.. I made it up to you." She posed for him in her panties and watched his brain stop working. "I mean.. don't you think I was nice enough to you later?" Raising both arms over her head, she gave a long stretch upwards. "Hmmm Wayne?"

He blinked twice before glancing up at her face. "Whut?"

"I said I love you." She smiled and went to pull out her dress greens and shook the jacket and skirt slightly to make sure there were no unsightly wrinkles. Laying the clothing on the extra bed, she gave a slap to his butt. "Move so I can get dressed. You'd better start getting into your own pretty uniform." She stopped and smiled when his hands took hold of her hips and his lips touched the back of her shoulder lightly. "Wayne... we don't have time."

"Ah know..." He sighed against her neck before turning loose. "Duty calls." Taking down his own dress Ranger uniform, he held it up to look at the honor ribbons and medals pinned in their perfect rows. After a long moment, he gave himself a slight shake. "Give me good honest fatigues with some mud on 'em any day."

"Especially the mud?" Covergirl's skirt was fastened and she shimmied slightly, settling it just so on her slender hips. Her long stockings were already clipped to the garter belt that happened to be able to hold both a small handgun and a thin bladed knife that Jinx had given her. She did know that the idea of weapons being strapped to her thighs drove the Ranger crazy, so she managed to lift the skirt to 'check' their placement while he was looking. He groaned but didn't respond otherwise so she went back to buttoning up her shirt instead.

By the time she'd finished dressing, Beach was tugging the cuffs of his shirt so they rested exactly how he wanted from the jacket sleeves. She looked him up and down a few times while he fiddled with the jacket cuffs and lapels. "Holy shit on a stick BeachHead. You look great!" He glanced over and took the beret down to dust at it a bit. "Really.. no snarky comment coming." For once she couldn't see a thread out of place on the man she was more used to seeing rumpled and covered in filth.

He swallowed and slipped the beret on, giving it a tug to seat it properly. "Well, I don't wear it much but I do remember how to put on my formal uniform." He relaxed and smiled as he took in her own outfit. "You look good. All professional."

She reached up and touched her hair, tucked up in a neat bun with a set of very short hair sticks holding it in place. Unless you were on the receiving end of one, you'd never know that the ends were razor sharp. She'd insisted that Jinx not poison them however. It wasn't that she was opposed to using poison but more that she was certain she'd end up poking herself with one and explaining _that _to a Fort Benning hospital doctor would take more gumption than she had.

Beach plucked up his rifle he'd hold during the ceremony and slung it over a shoulder, patting his chest slightly to check his shoulder holster was snug with his .45 secured. The new rig felt different but was less obvious than his old one, so he'd agreed to give it a try. His usual concealed weapons otherwise felt secure and correct in the small of his back, tucked inside the front of his hip and down at his ankle. He never even thought about the various blades anymore.

Satisfied with his various armament, he crooked an elbow to Courtney. "Coming?"

Fluttering her eyelashes and putting a hand to her chest lightly, she answered him in a light breathless tone. "Oh agaain? Waaayne.. you're such a stud?" She stepped over and hugged his arm while he rolled his eyes at her. "I wonder if Stalker looks half as good as you do? Let's go find out!"

They barely knocked on the door before it opened and Stalker and Lydia stepped out. Lydia had on a very elegant black knee-length dress and just enough jewelry to be tasteful. Stalker wore an almost identical uniform to Beachhead, with nearly as many awards pinned in the rows. He looked Beachhead up and down twice before grinning and opening his mouth.

Beachhead didn't wait. "Shut it." He turned to Lydia and inclined his head politely. "You look quite nice Lydia." Turning back to Stalker he jerked his head to the side. "Ready? We gotta get our butts there early."

The two Rangers set off, followed by the pair of ladies behind them. Lydia tilted her head over at Courtney. "Well, I was wondering if that was really Beachhead, but now I can hear it is." At Courtney's muffled laugh, she continued. "You look pretty spiffy too. I never have understood how an Army dress uniform takes away a woman's chest size so effectively though. No offense, it's just I know you have a really nice set of cleavage but in the dress uniform, you'd never guess it."

Covergirl looked down and then shrugged. "Unless I paid to have it completely tailored down from a too-large size, the chest just doesn't allow much leeway so most of us.. ummm... amply endowed girls, we use tight sports bras and such to fit in them without making it look unseemly. I don't get to wear a formal uniform often enough to bother."

Beach snorted without looking over his shoulder at the following two women. "Ah paid to have my uniform altered to look good. Ah'm pretty danged sure that _some_ folks wear their formals more often than Ah ever have." Stalker coughed trying not to laugh as he watched the people around them for any sign of hostility. Most of the milling people were either Army folks headed to various destinations, some civilians wandering more aimlessly and a great deal of Rangers all headed in the same direction, more or less. "Well heck Stalker, it's true. When have ya seen me get dudded up? And she's had to put on her pretties a heck of a lot more often."

Stalker shook his head. "Oh no, don't drag me into any arguments. But I only can think of a couple times, most of them funerals. Although that one time you had to go with Hawk and Duke... I think I heard you were in the dress uniform then, right?"

Beachhead grunted. "Ah don't wanna talk about that. The point is, she oughta put some effort into lookin' her best if she's gotta be in a dress uniform, right?"

Courtney spoke overly loud to Lydia, acting as if she was ignoring the two men's discussion ahead of them. "Well, some people don't really think that a huge set of tits is an asset for a woman in the military. I know that _some _men think that without some tits to look at, there's not much use for a woman in the Army. I happen to think that I can do my job perfectly well without displaying any cleavage." Lydia hid her smile and nodded somberly agreeing.

Beach gritted his teeth. "Well, SOME people should realize ya ain't gotta 'display' yer assets to make a dress uniform look good without squishing stuff so that it's uncomfy or restrictin' yer movements."

Courtney's testy tone was evident as she spoke to the even more amused Lydia. "Well, squishing SOME parts isn't actually very restrictive, which SOME people would know if they'd bothered to take their eyes off my ass while I was dressing."

Beach stopped midstride and turned to glower at her. She smiled prettily and stood on tiptoe to kiss his nose, startling him into jerking backwards. "Oh look, I win." She made a shooing motion at the large Ranger. "You're going to be late if you stop to yell and fuss, and you'll just lose the argument in a spectacular way anyway. So let's go."

Ignoring Stalker's barely muffled chuckling and Lydia's outright laughter, Beach fumed for only a second before turning to head along the path again. "Gawd dammit. Ah don't even know whut the fuck Ah'm arguing about! Sonnabitchin' WOMEN!" Stalker lost his inner battle and laughed loudly for a few minutes while Beach stomped along looking murderous.

Finally Stalker gave a heavy slap to his friend's back. "Hell Beach, you've finally begun to learn the futility of arguing with your woman. Now you just have to figure out how to pick and choose your arguments so that the 'making up' leads to sex." Stalker enjoyed Beach turning bright red. "Aww come on... even you have to admit that make up sex is great."

"Shut up." Beach took a deeper breath and changed the subject. "We ain't up fer any awards right? I signed up for the ceremonial guard unit."

Stalker took pity on him. "No, I checked the assignments last night with the coordinator though. We're part of the podium-side guards. No flags, just standing guard looking pretty."

Beach gave a short nod. "Good. I hate holding the flags. Always bugs me the idea of droppin' one to pull a weapon should anything happen."

Sighing with resignation, Stalker shook his head. "Beach, dude.. it's a Ranger ceremony attended by just about every Ranger on base. A guy'd have to be a complete idiot to try anything on anyone at that place. It's like a 'stupid robber hitting a cop bar' story."

"Could still happen." Beach's stubbornness made the other Ranger give up. "Sarge is gonna be there, but Benny drew a duty roster. He said he didn't mind though."

Courtney spoke up brightly. "Benny is a good guy. I swear, he'd cheerfully do KP if that's what Sarge wanted him to do."

Beach gave a short nod and turned to her as they reached the amphitheater. "I'll find you after the ceremony." Reaching around her shoulders with one arm, he gave her a quick squeeze. With his face in close to hers, he murmured softly. "Lydia's fucked in her pointy head, yer tits look fabulous." Planting a quick peck of a kiss on her cheek, he was walking away nonchalantly before Courtney could collect herself to respond. No doubt exactly as he wanted.

"Wayne!" He peered over his shoulder without stopping and she faltered. "Just... be careful!" He rolled his eyes once and hefted the rifle on his shoulder as he turned his back again to continue into the milling crowd. His back disappeared nearly instantly, Stalker right behind him.

Lydia gave her arm a squeeze. "Well, one point to Beachhead. I think he's catching on to the whole relationship thing rather quickly."

Courtney sighed. "Yes.. I'm going to have to start making a real effort to keep ahead of him soon. Let's find some good seats. I've never seen the changeover of the Ranger commanders before."

Lydia tutted as they moved down an aisle of unmarked seats. "It's not too long. Look, let's get those seats there..."

* * *

End chapter

I will skip the ceremony. Nothing pertaining to the Joes happens during it and I just don't feel it's right to write up the ceremony of turning over the station of head of the Rangers in a fic unless there was darn good reason. So the next chapter will begin right after the conclusion to the ceremony.

Thank you for reading and I hope it is still enjoyable.


	34. OMG what!

As I said at the end of the last chapter, I skipped the actual ceremony. A warning for some gore and a cliffhanger. Sorry that's kind of a spoiler, but gotta warn folks that might not want to be surprised by some mention of blood.

* * *

After the ceremony, Courtney waited for her Ranger to reappear, breathing just a small sigh of relief when Stalker and Beach came out of the crowd. "There you guys are!" She told herself she was being foolish to worry. Maybe Beach's paranoia had infected her own normally good sense.

Lydia gave Stalker a quick hug and sound kiss to his cheek, making him grin. "Lonzo, I have to go. I don't want to miss my flight."

Courtney blinked. "Flight? You're leaving? Now?"

Lydia turned her face as Stalker continued to kiss up her neck. "Ahhh, yess.. well. I wanted to stay to see the change over since Lonzo was part of the guard this time. But... I have to get back. Don't worry, I arranged for a cab to meet me at the motel, so that you didn't have to worry over leaving Beach here totally helpless and unprotected." Courtney and Beach let out identical snorts of derision. "Kidding! I didn't want you to have to drop everything and give me a lift. It's been great to meet you.." Extracting herself from her husband's embrace, she gave Courtney a quick hug. "Take care of yourself, and try not to murder Beach here. I'm certain he's trying his best to please you in his own awkward clueless way."

"Hey!" Beach subsided when he couldn't think of anything to really refute her statement and finished lamely. "Have a safe trip back, Lydia. It was... ummm good to see you again." He gave her a nod which satisfied her.

"You take care too. Don't run in the roads and get hit by any more trucks. It would upset Courtney." Lydia turned back to Stalker and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Courtney gave Beach a jab in the ribs and they both suddenly developed a great interest in the surroundings rather than the couple having a rather passionate goodbye between them.. "You looked very good up there Beach. Very formal and uhh.. standing very still without fidgeting."

He glanced over a shoulder then resolutely started watching the people on the opposite side of the couple. "Yeah, I'm good at not fidgeting if'n I got a good reason. Rifle gets a mite heavy, but ain't no bother. The new commander will be a good one. Not that the old one wasn't."

She nodded. "Spoke to him?"

"Yep. He shook hands with us guards and said some nice stuff about the NCOs bein' the backbone of the Rangers and all." He let out a sigh. "I guess it's about the only good reason fer puttin' on this fancy uniform really. Sure don't want to wear it to no more funerals if'n I can help it."

Covergirl shuddered slightly. "Amen. I could do without any more funerals for a long time."

Stalker attracted their attention with a heavy sigh. "Well. I guess that's it for most of my vacation. I hate to see my woman leave, but hey, she's got a life too." He gave them a smile anyway. "Now I can get on with the business of watching Beach's back and harassing the two of you unmercifully for the next two days."

Beach's eyeroll was still accompanied by a little smirk. "Yeah well, you wouldn't be a good teammate if'n you didn't try to give us a hard time, right?"

CoverGirl suddenly stiffened and nudged Beach in the ribs with an elbow. "Don't look but Amore is to your five o'clock." True to form, Beach twisted to look and she hissed at him. "I just said don't look!"

"Hell if'n I'm gonna let him sneak up on me." Beach exchanged a hard glare with the warrant officer. "He ain't got a decent reason to even be here."

Stalker grunted as he watched the Army officer stare at the Ranger and then turn to head away deliberately. "Now why would he just suddenly change direction like that? I think I should follow him, that way if he starts to try anything funny, I'll be on his tail." He paused. "You think CoverGirl is enough of a second set of eyes?"

A new voice made them all turn. "I think I can be the third set of eyes." Sarge limped up and nodded at Stalker. "Ranger Wilkinson will be better able to keep up with that damned Amore." Stalker gave a grateful slap to Beach's upper arm before he darted off to catch up to the rapidly retreating warrant officer. "Sorry Ditch. I was going to join up with you guys right after the ceremony, but I spotted Amore hanging around so I started to follow him. I just can't keep up when he does more than walk. Your bud will do better than I can with this bum leg."

Beach straightened up and shook his hand. "Glad to have you watchin' my back Sarge. Lonzo is a good man, he'll keep an eye on the pogue." He gave a jerk of his chin to indicate the path they were following. "We're just headed to pick up the blueprints and paperwork on some new equipment that Courtney is droolin' over."

CoverGirl stepped up to his left side. "I beg your pardon! I am not drooling!" Beach gave her a look and she relented. "Well, not until I actually have them to drool on. Then all bets are off." She looked around at Sarge who was walking to Beach's right. "It's for this new drive train and a new way to set up the transmission on tracked vehicles see? And.."

Sarge shook his head. "She really is a mech-head, isn't she? Darling, I don't understand nothing more than changing tires and oil on those things. And on a tank? I couldn't find the oil pan anyway!"

She looked a bit crestfallen. "Oh." Brightening, she smiled. "Well, it's really fascinating how they did it. I can't wait to start going over the actual plans. I'm pretty sure I can draw up modifications for existing vehicles. Make them more efficient and more powerful."

Nodding now, Sarge made a noise of agreement. "Oh that sounds... uhh... good." He turned his attention to the surrounding crowds.

Beach gave a heavy snort and looked down at Courtney just as she glanced up at him. "It's okay Princess, Ah still love ya. Even when ya don't make..." His sentence was never finished.

Courtney had been scanning the nondescript crowds, watching for anyone suspicious, not particularly listening to Beach. She had just turned to joke at him about something when he'd tilted his head to give her an amused look, saying something typically snarky about her love of engines no doubt. It made the blood spray that hit her face all the more stunning. The rifle retort that followed within a fraction of a second made her blink and duck in reflex. By the time her blink was finished, Beach's eyes were glazed and closing and the blood pouring from his head had already flowed past his ear onto his throat. She caught his weight as he collapsed, Sarge already screaming to everyone around the area.

"GET DOWN! SHOTS FIRED!" He grabbed out a two-way radio to yell into it even as he went to a knee and grabbed for his own sidearm. "MAN DOWN! IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE!" He began giving out their location and moved a few steps to continue clearing all the bystanders away by waving and yelling at them.

Courtney managed to lower Beach's limp form to the pavement just as a second shot careened off the concrete next to them. She whipped her face around to look up into the distant treeline and thought she saw a slight glint. Turning back to the body under her hands, she grabbed the collar of his jacket and dragged him behind a heavy cement planter. Reaching to cradle his head she found a mass of blood and heard herself gasp as she realized he'd been shot in the side of his head.

"Oh god no Wayne!" She gave him a shake and ducked again as another shot skipped off the edge of the planter. Grabbing Beach's legs, she pulled them under cover and snatched up his fallen rifle. "You fucking bastard!" She raised up to rest the rifle on the edge of the planter, reaching to snatch a ornamental bush out by the roots to give her a clear line of sight to the brush where she'd seen the telltale glint of a scope.

"KRIEGER!" She ignored the shout from Sergeant Green. "Give me the weapon! I don't have range with this pistol!"

Ignoring all the distractions she waited until a slight bit of color showed itself. A fraction of a second later, the glint gave away the sniper's position and Courtney didn't hesitate to squeeze the trigger, snarling as she saw the jerk of the body she'd hit, still concealed in the brush. Reaching down, she gave a pat to the motionless form laying in the slowly spreading blood pool. "Don't worry, I'm gonna kill the fucker back for you, Wayne." Her emotions had gone flat the instant she'd seen the side of his head covered in gore. Now all she could think of was taking down the shooter as if that would reverse the horrific events. Lifting the heavy rifle, she sprinted out from cover, ignoring the screaming civilians and the uniformed soldiers trying to get everyone under cover and shouting directions and orders.

Within moments she was at the line of brush and drove herself through the thick bushes, ignoring the scrapes and scratches her legs acquired. Almost immediately she found the sniper's shooting position, a discarded rifle, spotting scope and ammunition still laying in the dirt that was muddied with blood. "Alright... where are you, you damn murderer?" She crouched slightly, skirt riding up and reminding her, not of her current dress outfit, but of her secondary weapons. Setting the unwieldy rifle down, she pulled her smaller handgun and worked the slide, taking the safety off. A brief second of worry for Stalker crossed her mind as she wondered how the warrant officer could have given her teammate the slip.

She lifted her voice slightly. "Alright Amore! Come out! If you're gut shot I promise to finish you off so you won't die slow!" She moved immediately, skirting the dry brush and slipping in between some leafy vegetation. Hearing some rustling behind her, she twisted to ID Sarge coming in, his own pistol in hand. He was breathing hard from the run and hobbling on his bad leg, but he nodded to her and motioned to the sides to indicate which direction he'd go opposite of her own path. She nodded in reply and then scooted forward again.

Listening carefully, she could track Sarge by the occasional softest of noises as he moved through the brush. Her own movements seemed so much noisier and she cursed inside her head at her lack of training in silent woods movements. She wished it was the more familiar Stalker on her far side instead of the older Ranger. As trustworthy and capable as Sarge seemed, it wasn't the same as having a fellow Joe at her back.

Coming around the bend in a game trail, she found more blood dripped onto the bent down grass and slowed her advance. When she came out into a slight opening, she stopped in complete stunned amazement. "Oh my god... you? How... ?

* * *

End Chapter

Yeah, remember the cliffhanger warning? This is it. You'll find out who the shooter is... promise. Thanks for hanging with me through this fic, and I hope it's got everyone on the edge of their seats! Thank you to everyone who reviews and gives me feedback! Love you guys!


	35. The Big Reveal

CHAPTER 35

Yes, a EARLY update. You can all thank totenkinder manchen for the early update. You can also all thank Karama9 for all her hard work in beta work and listening to long dialogues of plot points and ideas. And thank yourselves for all the awesome feedback too. This Authors Note is starting to sound like it's the end chapter, which this is NOT, so I'll shut up and let you find out who/what/why... right NOW!

Benny gasped out a couple breaths, struggling to spit out a mouthful of blood. "Awww hell. I got shot by the Army gal. Knew Ditch chose a good one." He lay his head back on the grass and clenched bloody fingers over the chest wound that was soaking the front of his fatigues with bright red blood. "Damn... at least I got old Ditch."

Unable to stop herself, Courtney stepped up and put a hand over the wound. "Benny? Benny.. why?" Her free hand patted him down for weapons. "You shot Wayne... you killed him.. he's... he was your teammate."

Sarge burst through the cover to the side only to stop and stare. "What the hell?" He dropped to his knees beside his trooper and began to tug open the shirt. "Oh fuck... Benny what did you do? What did you do?"

Benny gave a weak grin at his old sergeant, holding up a knife to him. "Here... Army gal is a good..." He coughed bubbles of blood again. "… good shot, piss poor at searching for weapons." The small Ranger's leg pushed against the grass a few times. "I did get the hit, right Sarge? I hit Ditch. Got him... good headshot... right?"

Courtney leaned back, letting the Ranger sergeant take over holding the wound. "Why Benny? Why would you hurt Wayne? He was your friend!"

Benny raised his eyebrows at her as if he was puzzled at her confusion. "But.. but he left. Sneeden left, didn't stick by Sarge. They all left. Went on with their careers and advanced and left crippled-up Sarge behind like he was nothing. Wasn't right. Wasn't right at all. I tried." He struggled to sit up some and pointed at her. "I tried to tell him to come back! You heard me try! It's not my fault! None of them would come back!"

Sarge pressed him down again. "Benny... who else? Who's 'they'?" He sounded defeated, knowing what the answer was yet hoping for something different.

Benny gave a shallow cough, his voice beginning to fade. "All of 'em, Sarge. Only me sticking by you... only Benny was loyal. All the rest... got 'em all for you. Cut the brake lines, gave old Hurklit poison in his coffee... pushed Leo offa cliff in Oregon... all of 'em that didn't die in line duty..." He struggled to breathe for a moment. "Ditch... poor old Ditch.. he hid. He hid a long time. Long time but I got 'em too. Got 'em... he was tough though." Benny's fanatical eyes opened wide to stare at nothing. "Was hard... tried so many times... couldn't make it no accident finally... had to... to... shoot." His gaze moved towards Sarge even though it was evident he wasn't seeing anything more. "I got 'em though... right?"

Sarge coughed, struggling to speak. "Yeah... hell. Fuck you Benny. You did." He watched the ragged breaths finally stop and turned loose of Benny's hand. "Sonabitch..." He turned suddenly to Courtney. "Fuck. I didn't know. I swear to god.. if I'd known I could have stopped the bastard." One sob escaped before he swallowed hard. "I didn't know."

Courtney stood, her handgun still held in a loose grip as she stared. "He... Benny killed all your old team. Be-because they didn't stay assigned to the same unit? But... but the Army reassigned people, it wasn't their fault..."

Sarge sat back, wiping at his face tiredly. "Hell... he had to be screwed up in his head... it's been years... god dammit. The first guy... he was killed in Kansas when his car crashed. Jesus.. Benny's been killing them all this time. I never knew." He staggered to his feet and stared at his long time friend. "Jesus, if I had only figured it out... if he'd just said something TO me..."

Courtney was still staring at poor Benny's body as Sarge kept the MPs away, got certain officials notified to come up so they could decide what to do and say. She supposed that telling the general public that a highly trained veteran Army Ranger had been insane for years and murdering other Rangers wouldn't exactly be the thing they wanted to do. She barely noticed when Sarge gently took her sidearm away from her and wiped her hands with a damp rag.

Sarge got her attention by taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to focus on him. "Krieger. Go back down and stay with him.. go stay with Sneeden, okay?" She nodded and turned to numbly begin to walk back down through the brush, pushing past the MPs and onlookers that crowded up as close as they were allowed to by Sarge's cordon of Rangers. No one seemed to quite know what was going on, but they ignored the small Army corporal edging her way through them.

By the time she found her way back to the blood-covered piece of sidewalk, she could feel the state of shock dissipating. Her hands shook and she felt sick. But her vision suddenly cleared when she found Beach's body missing. She turned a circle, the crowd and MPs holding the area suddenly coming into being around her as if forming out of the mist in her head. "Where... where's Wayne?"

A burly MP took her arm absently, motioning to several curious onlookers to move back. "Stay back, this is a crime scene, there's nothing for you to see." He tugged her back behind an invisible barrier. "Ma'am, please stay back..."

She reached up and took him by an ear and twisted, snarling angrily into his face. "Where the fuck is Wayne?"

To his credit, the MP only made a soft noise of pain and instead disengaged her grip and twisted her wrist painfully to move her another step back. "Assaulting a MP will get you..."

She kicked him in the knee, causing him to turn loose of her wrist in surprise. "TELL ME WHERE HE IS! GOD DAMN YOU!"

Her actions brought two more MPs instantly and they kept her contained while she railed at them hysterically. Eventually they realized what she was asking.

One nodded at her, spreading his hands in a non-threatening manner. "Ma'am, I mean Corporal... I'm sorry, the bod... ahhh, the victim was transported to our ER..." He gestured in the correct direction. "It's not far... someone can accompany you if you give us a few minutes to arrange some transport."

She shoved him aside and took off running. The half-hearted shouts faded behind her and the dispersing crowds were little hindrance as she pelted for the base hospital. She wiped at her face to push the blurring tears aside. She'd taken down Wayne's killer, she had to get to him now. Somehow that would make things okay. Inside her head, she knew how ridiculously stupid that was, she could almost hear the gruff voice telling her not to be a danged idiot. She didn't care.

Pushing past people in the emergency waiting area, she leaned on the desk, panting and desperate. "Wayne... Wayne is here... they said he was brought here, I have to see him.."

The nurse behind the desk stood to come around to her, holding out her hands gently. "Here now, you're very upset, perhaps you should take a seat a moment, who are you looking for?"

Courtney slung the hands off her and shouted loudly. "WAYNE SNEEDEN. I want to see him. He's here, they said so. They said they brought him here and I have to see him RIGHT NOW!" She looked at the nurse's kind face with it's expression of pity and burst into tears again, swallowing repeatedly and struggling to compose herself. "Please. I just have to see him..."

By now there were orderlies and a doctor surrounding her as well. One of the orderlies whispered something to the doctor who's expression went a bit resigned. "Okay... calm down miss..."

She sniffed deeply and straightened up. "It's not 'miss', it's Corporal. Corporal Krieger. I want to see Sergeant major Sneeden right now." She glared at the doctor who gave a little sigh and shrugged.

"We've barely been able to clean him up... but for just a few moments it won't hurt anything..." She tuned out anything else he said as long as he gestured towards the doors that would take her back to where Wayne was. She tried to walk slowly, but felt as if they were shuffling at a snail's pace. Finally they came to the end of the treatment ward where it was silent and empty of people. The lighting was all turned low and a heavy curtain had been drawn around it's single gurney. "Here... if you need anything, call one of the nurses..."

She nodded and stepped inside as the doctor wandered back up to the busy front. The body laying there made the gurney look small. His face was covered by a previously white cloth, now somewhat stained on the side with blood. She sat on his left side, away from the silent machines and away from where the damage to his head would be too apparent to ignore.

She sat there for a few seconds staring before reaching up to draw the cloth off his face. She looked aside immediately. He could have been sleeping, the angle obscuring where the bullet had hit. Feeling the sob welling up inside her, she let go and bent her head down. "Oh god.. Wayne.. I'm so sorry..." Wracked with sobs, she reached to clutch his hand tightly, squeezing it in hers, surprised it was still slightly warm to her touch. "WHY? Why did he have to do that to you? Why didn't we believe you? You were right and we just... just... I'm soo sorry!"

The gruff voice made her cough and choke as he groaned lowly. "Barbiedoll, if'n ya don't stop that damned caterwaulin' Ah'm gonna puke on yer hair.." She blinked as the battered head turned towards her and the eyes opened in a familiar cranky squint. If the right eye was completely shot with blood, she ignored it. They were open and looking at her with that same old brown-irised gaze. "The fuck is wrong with ya anyway?"

End Chapter

Well OF COURSE he's not dead. Would I kill my Favorite Character? Wait, if you've read Ghost Soldier, don't answer that.

I hope you enjoyed the early update. Thank you all for the massive amount of feedback, every bit of it is appreciated. More updates are coming soon. (on schedule anyway)


	36. Why?

Chapter 36

Well, now you know who the would-be killer was, that Beach isn't dead(of course he's not dead, he has to run PT, he wouldn't just die), let's get this fic wrapped up. There's two more chapters to go.. here's one of them.

I do not own GI Joe nor any rights to it or the characters, only my OCs and the plots I come up with. I make mo money from these stories, consider them mere homage to the greatness that is GI Joe.

Massive thanks go out to Karama9 for all the help in beta and advice work. I don't think I could have written this without her to bounce ideas off of and the beta assistance she's given me.

* * *

Courtney's voice rose in a shriek. "WAYNE!" Throwing herself onto his chest she hugged him tightly, ignoring his protesting noises. "Oh my god I thought you were dead!" She leaned back to look at him, taking him by the shoulders to shake him. "WHY! Why aren't you dead?"

He made a sour retching noise, causing her to turn loose of him immediately. "Gawd damn ya... Ah'm gonna throw up.." He fumbled to the side. "Mah head's killin' me.. please gawd shut up.."

"Wayne.. he shot you in the head... you should be dead." She reached out to pat his arm, then up to touch his cheek, pleased when he turned his face to press against her touch. "How could you possibly survive?"

He snorted heavily then put a hand over his eyes. "Gimme my washrag... light's killin' mah eyes..." She found the bloodied cloth to hand back and watched as he draped it back over his face. "Doctor said the round clipped side of my head. Gotta hangover from hell over it, but ain't dead. Hell, I been shot before Cinderella..."

She lifted the edge of the cloth, unable to resist the urge to check that he was still alive to glare at her. "But Wayne... it hit you in the head... people don't survive getting shot in the head."

He groaned and swatted her hand so he could cover his eyes against the light again. "Told ya the light is killin' me. Scarlett got shot in her pointy head and she survived jus' fine. Hell, she was shot at close range. She ain't dead. Go caterwaul at her. Just shut up so my head will quit hurtin' so danged bad." Despite his chastising words, his hand reached out blindly to find hers and clutched it tightly. His voice dropped to a soft murmur. "I ain't gonna die on ya, Courtney."

"You scared me..." Courtney smiled as he grunted in reply. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you thought someone was after you." Another more disgruntled noise emerged and she winced. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"No. You nor Stalker neither. Next time I say I ain't bein' paranoid, I expect some respect, gawd dammit."

She reached out to stroke his hair, snatching her hand back when he grunted in pain. "Sorry.. I'm just happy you aren't dead."

She turned as a disapproving voice came from the edge of the curtain. The doctor stepped in. "I was trying to tell you he wasn't dead.. but I could tell you weren't listening." She blushed sheepishly. "It's okay, most people who see a friend shot in the head would assume they were deceased as well. It's a very shocking thing that you were no doubt not expecting."

Beach grunted loudly from under his cloth. "She oughta know I wasn't gonna die from no distant fire shot."

The doctor hummed and frowned. "You were just very lucky. A half inch to the left and you would be dead right now."

Beach snorted loudly then winced. "Yeah yeah, and a half inch to the right and it woulda missed altogether. What's yer danged point?" The doctor raised his hands in defeat and shook his head. "Point is, I ain't dead, and mah head is still killin' me. Make it stop."

Sighing at the stubborn denials, the physician checked the chart and then turned the machine on to check the blipping readouts. After a moment he flipped the noise off again. "Sorry, I know the beeping seems really loud to you with the head pain. I turned it back off, okay? I'll get you an ice pack. There's not much else I can do for the pain right now." Turning to look at Courtney, he paused. "Corporal, I was just informed that if you showed up, you were to be kept here until someone could come talk to you." She straightened up, alarmed and took a deep breath to protest before he held up a hand to stop her. "They specifically said you were not detained or under suspicion, obviously, or I wouldn't have let you back here. But they don't want you to leave."

She nodded mutely. He looked aside then back. "They also said you were not to speak of the circumstances at all to anyone until they arrive to talk to you." He waited for her to nod back at him. "Okay then, I'll leave you here, but don't let him move around or anything. He'll be taken up to a cat-scan in just a bit."

Beach protested without moving his face cover. "Ya'll already scanned my danged head. I know you did cause I woke up in the danged machine. Ain't gotta go doin' that all over again!"

The doctor exchanged a look with Courtney before he responded. "Yes well, most of our comatose victims of head shots don't wake up and start screaming inside the scanner. We'll need to rescan your head to make certain there's no new internal bleeding in your brain. If you really feel afraid of the machine, we'll sedate you first."

Loud grumbles emerged. "Try it and I'll kick all yer asses. Can't make my head stop hurtin' but ya'll find more ways to annoy me and make it hurt worse.. thought doctors were suppose to relieve sufferin'." Beach took a deep breath and sighed it back out. "Whatever."

Courtney felt him squeeze her hand tightly and squeezed back to reassure him. "Wayne, I'm sure they're just doing their job. Behave yourself." He grunted in reply to that too. "Thank you.. I'll wait here for whoever they send."

Now the doctor looked away nervously. "Well yes... there's a MP out here who will just... stand here...just in case." He gave a nod and slipped away.

She grimaced. "I hope it's not the one I kneecapped." At the querying noise from under the washcloth she cleared her throat a little. "It was nothing. Never mind."

It was quiet a few minutes except for the sound of Beach's heavy breathing. He gave a heavy snort a few times, trying to clear his sinuses. "Dang it.. got blood all up in my nose." His face turned slightly towards her. "Why weren't you here?" The plaintive tone was followed by him clearing his throat in embarrassment. "Not like I needed ya here or nothin'." He tried to tug his hand away.

"I'm sorry Wayne, I thought you had been killed." She put her other hand over his to hold it firmly. "I took your rifle to... to go after the shooter." She swallowed suddenly, not knowing how to broach the subject of his old friend's betrayal. "Wayne..."

He coughed slightly. "They said you ain't to talk about it until they get here." His free hand reached up to point blankly at the curtain opening where the MP guard was no doubt standing. "So shut yer yap a'fore you get in trouble." Despite his harsh words, his hand still held hers. She knew he believed she'd found Amore behind it all. She felt like a coward feeling so relieved that she wouldn't have to be the one telling him about Benny. At least, not yet. "You..." He hesitated and she held her breath waiting for him to ask. "You didn't bust my good rifle, did you?"

She puffed out an exasperated breath at him. "No! Damn it, Beachhead! Don't worry about your stupid rifle!" Suddenly she realized she'd tossed it down in the brush when she'd pulled her handgun and left it behind. "Uhh..."

He lifted up the cloth to glare at her. "Oh hell. You did bust it!" She must have looked a bit paniced and he sighed and dropped the cloth back over his eyes. "Jebus freakin' popsicles, woman. Didya lose every bit of trainin'? Bust my gun... and my GOOD gun at that."

She cleared her throat. "I didn't 'bust' it. I just kind of... left it... "

"You WHAT?" Now the cloth was pulled off as he half sat up to yell. Immediately he groaned and clutched at his head, wincing and laying back down. "Dammit... why my danged good rifle?"

"I have your damned rifle, Beach." Stalker's welcome voice made both of them jump as he stepped in. "Courtney, are you okay?"

She nodded as Beach protested. "Is SHE okay? I got shot in the danged head, but is SHE okay? Dang it... see where I rank among things..." He flopped the cloth back over his eyes and waved vaguely in the air. "No no... I'm just peachy, pleeease don't go worryin' over old Beach, just shot in head. Let me just lie around alone in a danged ward..." He suddenly stopped and pulled the cloth aside to peer at Stalker with a suspicious squint. "My rifle is okay, right?"

Shaking his head in disgust, Stalker nodded anyway. "Yes. They took the numbers off it, a few rounds and such, but they let me take possession." Beach grunted in a satisfied manner and replaced his face cover while he turned to Courtney. "No one would tell me what was going on though."

She shook her head but before she could explain, Beach snatched the washrag off again. "Why didn't you stick with that damned warrant officer? I thought you were gonna keep an eye on him, what? You lost yer touch, let him give you the slip?" His accusations made Stalker cross his arms and look annoyed. "What? I got shot here, I gotta right to know how the asshole managed to do it when you was supposed to be watchin' my danged back!"

"It wasn't Amore." Stalker listened to the disbelieving huff. "I was standing less than three feet from him when we heard the first shot, I stayed right beside him the whole time right up until we were at the scene and I overheard what had gone down. Whoever the shooter was, it wasn't Amore. The man is an arrogant prick, Beach, but he isn't your shooter."

Courtney put a hand on Beach's forearm to calm him. "It's true, it wasn't Amore. Beach, please stop... the doctor said you shouldn't get upset."

"Shouldn't get upset! I WAS SHOT!" He huffed again and threw the fabric over his face. "Gotta right to be upset when I was shot in the danged head."

The doctor peered in, obviously alarmed at the commotion. "I can't allow you to stay back here if you're going to make him upset. You'll have to leave."

Beach reached blindly to the side to find a box of instruments and sent it flying at the sound of the intruding voice. "Get the hell out! I'll show you upset, if you don't get away from me!" Dodging the projectiles, the doctor gave Stalker and Courtney a glare and rolled his eyes. "Did I hit the bastard?" Beach sounded hopeful.

"No, you missed me. Not for lack of effort. Try to calm down and rest." The doctor ducked a carton of tongue depressors and disappeared in retreat.

"Stupid doctors.. never thought I'd wish fer that dang skinny medic of ours." Beach twisted slightly and pressed a hand to the side of his head. "Damn it... I'm bleedin' again! Someone go get that incompetent twit and tell him to stitch this up proper!" Stalker got up, chuckling to himself softly to go find someone willing to treat the grumpy Ranger. Courtney came around to the side of the bed to press a clean bandage over the fresh bleeding. "Ow! Dang it.. that hurts!"

"Well, maybe if you'd lain still and behaved it wouldn't have started bleeding again." She bent down and kissed his forehead anyway. "I love you. I'm very happy you weren't dead. Don't ever scare me like that again."

He sighed and waved a hand around blindly trying to find hers, grasping it tightly when she took pity on him to reach for it. "I love you too." He took a long breath in and let it out slowly. "My head hurts..." His voice dropped as he asked softly, "Who.. who was it, Courtney?"

She shook her head mutely, realized he couldn't see her and sniffed before she answered him. "I'm n-not supposed t-to say anything, Beach."

His hand tugged hers slightly, before he turned loose to reach up and put it on her cheek. His free hand drew the cloth aside so he could look at her out of eyes filled with a pain that had nothing to do with his head. "Courtney... please? I gotta know... I want to hear it from you..." His soft whisper made her eyes fill with tears and she rubbed them away impatiently.

Lowering her voice, she bent over to kiss his bruised cheek softly twice before she whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry... it was Benny... I'm so sorry.."

For just a second he blinked up at the ceiling blankly, trying to process that information. "...whut? But..." He shut up and Courtney straightened up and nodded slightly at him. "He... is he...? Did you...?"

She nodded, wiping away more tears. "I did... but, but I didn't know who.. not until... until I got up there..."

He shook his head and shushed at her. "Don't say nothin' else." He pulled her hand in tightly. "Wasn't yer fault... just.." He reached up to wipe at his own wet eyes. "Just don't. Just.." He looked at her pleadingly. "Just sit with me, okay?"

"Of course..." She settled in the chair beside him and stroked his hand gently.

* * *

There was a stern-faced commander who arrived to pull Courtney into a small hastily vacated office to debrief her and inform her that she wasn't to speak of the incident at all until Headquarters decided what to do about everything. It was obvious that they were struggling to decide how to cover up the shootings and were unsure how much she could be trusted. Stalker seemed to impress the man when he spoke to him for several minutes in a low tone. He took Courtney's ID to show the man, and eventually there were nods and Stalker handed back her items and told her to stay with Beach while he 'took care of things'. She was cautioned again against speaking to anyone and retreated to the small room where Beach had been moved after he'd endured another cat-scan over his protests.

By this time, Beach had been debriefed himself despite his having been unconscious through most of the incident. His prior history with Corporal Farner was questioned until he bellowed at them all. Then he managed to punch one of the MPs in the head when they tried restraining him. At that point his doctor stepped in to administer enough sedation to quiet the angry patient. Everyone but Courtney was ordered out for the time being. She was given stern instructions to make certain not to get the patient upset before the doctor left them alone, a set of MPs still standing guard outside down the hallway.

Courtney reached up to wipe the last traces of dry blood from Beach's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

His eyes blinked at her slowly, the sedation making him sleepy and confused. "Alright... Ah guesss..." He sighed. "Head hurts like a mother..."

"Well, all that yelling probably didn't help it." She took up a clean cloth to dampen it and wiped his face again, making him make a scowl at her before wincing. "Stop frowning at me. Here... I'll fix your ice pack, okay?"

"Okaay.." He tilted his head and looked at the empty doorway. "They should naw have said Benny was no a good Ranger... he was always the bestest Ranger ever... wasn't his fault he went all wrong in his head..." Courtney wiped his cheek again for him as a tear rolled free. "I aint' cryin'."

"I know.." She wiped his cheek again anyway. "It's just the light making your eyes water." She ignored the deep sniff. "Benny was a good man. He just had some bad things in his mind that made him do those things. He thought he was just being loyal to Sarge... he loved you guys." She gave the ice bag a shake to make the ice cubes separate. "Here... I'm going to put a cloth on your head, then the ice bag, okay?" He nodded sleepily and she got the cold pack arranged. "That should help your head, if you stay quiet and don't start raising a fuss again."

"I don't mean to be a bother to ya Courtney..." His drug-induced confusion made him sound rather pitiful. "I just... I just want.." He sighed heavily and fell asleep before he could finish the thought.

She felt his fingers tighten on hers when she started to turn loose of his hand and it made her smile. Courtney reached to tug the chair closer to the bed so she could sit and hold his hand while he slept. "Oh Wayne... you're never a bother." She smiled. "Maybe a big pain in the butt at times, but I never mind." He let out a soft grunt as if in reply and she bent over to kiss his cheek softly. He mumbled something indistinct under his breath and she shushed him gently. "Yes, I love you too." That seemed to be the right response and he grunted again softly before becoming still, deeply asleep finally.

Courtney felt exhausted herself. She should go find a place to lie down and rest. Not wanting to leave him quite yet, she rested her head on the side of the bed, intending to just close her eyes a moment. Within a few minutes she was as deeply asleep as Beach.

* * *

End Chapter

Annnd there's your explanation. Scarlett being shot and surviving is Marvel comic canon(and also the only time SnakeEyes is shown to speak!) and thus referenced here. Thanks for continuing to read, thank you to all who have reviewed!

One more chapter and it's done.


	37. It's The End!

Chapter 37

It's time for The End. I appreciate all the support, encouragement and help from Karama9 and the whole darned Twitter gang. You guys rock and a lot of you did a bunch to help me keep this going. Thank you.

* * *

The wee hours of the morning meant the halls of Benning's Martin Hospital were quiet. Not silent, never silent. The night shift continued on with necessary work, nurses moved quietly up and down, orderlies moved heavy carts around the tiled floors. But mostly it was dimly lit corridors empty of almost all personnel.

That's what made Hawk's measured steps sound all the louder as he moved smoothly through the hospital, intent on his mission and so obviously an officer 'not to be trifled with' that everyone who laid eyes on him glanced aside and ignored him and his Ranger shadow pacing along a step behind him.

Stalker gestured slightly to the left and Hawk turned the corner and opened a small office door to step in. Stalker closed the door behind them and stood guard in a falsely relaxed looking pose.

The soldiers seated within jumped to their feet and he gestured for them to be seated. "At ease." He stood gazing around at the Rangers' new commander, the Fort Benning commanding officer and, looking a bit awed at the company he was keeping, or being kept in, Warrant officer Amore. Hawk's voice left no doubt that he was highly displeased and was just hoping that someone would make themselves into a target for blame.

"I am General Abernathy. I have the full report on both today's events and the happenings of the past years." His eyes stopped on the base and Ranger commanders. "I understand that today's events would leave quite a stain on the reputation of both Fort Benning, the Rangers and the Army as a whole. Therefor, today will not be explained except as an unfortunate accident." He held out a hand towards Stalker who handed over two files. Hawk handed those to the base commander. "You will see that Corporal Farner was killed and Sergeant major Sneeden was wounded in this terrible accidental shooting and we are all very saddened by this, after a full investigation revealing said accidental shooting." He paused a moment. "Sergeant Green is absolved of any involvement, but has requested to be put on medical leave, prior to being honorably discharged on medical disability. He will of course be given the ultimate in mental health care and will be treated as a retired combat veteran deserves." Everyone in the room nodded mutely.

Hawk turned a steely unamused gaze onto the warrant officer. "You will desist all attempts to investigate Sergeant major Sneeden. The Ranger was cleared of any wrongdoing in the case of the female recruit, other than ill thought out behavior in accepted her advances. He was justly punished for said behavior. Any further investigation by yourself into his past or present activities or actions will be... " Hawk's voice became cold. "… extremely frowned upon. Do I make myself clear?"

Amore swallowed twice before finding his voice. "Yes sir."

Hawk gave a slight nod. "Sergeant major Sneeden and Corporal Krieger will depart Fort Benning tomorrow evening. They will be briefed by Sergeant Wilkinson and no one else. They have full access to Sergeant Green should he wish to see them prior to departure. Furthermore, I was never here, and this meeting never happened." His gaze went around the room once. "Are there any questions?"

A short chorus of three "No sir!" and Hawk gave a sharp jerk of his chin. Stalker opened the door and followed the general out silently.

As the door clicked closed, the Ranger commander picked up the file to open it, still staring at the door. "Now... that... was a General."

* * *

Stalker tilted his head, watching the sleeping pair of Joes in the darkened room. A small desk light gave just enough light for nurses to easily come check the sleeping Ranger in the bed, bandaged and hooked up to various medical devices and machines. Courtney had obviously fallen asleep in her chair, one hand still resting up on the bed in Beachhead's loose grasp.

Hawk's impervious gaze took in the quiet scene. He turned and left the room without making a noise, Stalker following him to the hallway. "He'll recover?"

Stalker nodded, holding out a file. "Doctor says he was lucky. Bullet skipped off the side of his head, clipped the skull enough to knock him unconscious and into a brief coma. He was awake within an hour though. Just rattled his brain up, no internal bleeding or brain damage that they could find. They'll be certain tomorrow when they get new pictures of the inside of his head and see any bleeding or not." He cleared his throat softly. "CoverGirl has been right there the whole time." He gave a nod to the guards who had retreated down to the end of the hall on Stalker's terse orders when they'd arrived. "Guards can probably be dismissed."

Hawk looked down the hall and then at Stalker. "Leave the guards. The last thing we need is Cobra or the Dreadnoks hearing about Joes at Benning and trying a hit. Once he's going to leave, stick close to him." He started to walk away. "You'll all be back at the Pitt by day after tomorrow."

Stalker spoke up quickly. "How is the new recruit... umm.. doing at the Pitt?"

Hawk stopped and gave Stalker a very small hint of a smile. "Things are... interesting. By the time you arrive, most of the uproar will have ended... until our Sergeant major discovers the new addition, that is."

Stalker sighed heavily and nodded, motioning to the two guards to return to their stations outside the room. "Yes sir." He walked beside Hawk as they left just as silently and unseen as they'd arrived. "You do know how to get things settled, sir."

Hawk smiled a mirthless tight smile. "That's my job, Stalker. That's my job."

* * *

Morning at Martin Army Hospital:

Courtney steadied Beach as he staggered sideways again. "Easy... don't fall down. I think you should ride in a wheelchair."

He shook his head which made him stagger the opposite direction. "Naw, I'm fine.. just..." He thumped into the wall and she got a shoulder underneath his arm to wedge him upright again. "Sorry... gimme a minute and I'll be fine."

She held his arm and groaned when his weight leaned onto her again. "Beach, you're going to fall and crack your big empty head open." He straightened up again and the orderly tried to take his opposite arm.

Beach snatched away from him and nearly overbalanced onto Courtney. "Get away from me! I don't need any help."

Stalker spoke up from the doorway. "Beach, dammit... do you ALWAYS have to cause trouble?" He came in and took an arm to steer him to the bed and sat him down by main force, nearly sending Courtney sprawling as well. "Sorry. Didn't mean to knock you down too."

She puffed out a breath and pushed her disheveled hair back out of her face. "He's just being stubborn. He got himself dressed so he thinks he can jump up and run around without pitching headfirst down the first flight of stairs he can find. Apparently all the injuries he's suffered so far just weren't enough for him."

Stalker nodded. "Sounds right. He always chooses the hard way to do anything."

Beach's voice rose to a yell. "Stop talkin' about me! Ah'm right here!" He began to lever himself back up and the orderly caught him on his way to his knees, lifting him back onto the edge of the bed. "GET OFFA ME!"

Putting her hands on her hips, Courtney stepped to the side. "Okay that's enough. Next time, just let him fall on his face." Beach glared at her and she glared right back. "You've said it ten times, you don't need any help at all. So do it yourself."

Beach clenched his jaw and stood up, tilted to the side, righted himself and steadied. Glaring daggers at both of his fellow Joes, he strode off across the room, staggered sideways halfway to the door and crashed rather spectacularly into the extra chair and the medical sensor stand. His voice came from under the tangle sounding extremely aggrieved. "Ah'm FINE!"

Exchanging a resigned glance with Covergirl, Stalker bent to help the orderly extract the Ranger from the furniture and machinery. Surprisingly, once they got him to his feet, he managed to walk a straight line with very little staggering. He gloated about it when they reached the check out deck. "Told ya'll I was fine." He took the pen the nurse handed over with a visible effort then tried to sign the desk twice before he hit the clipboard of papers. "Okaaay... which way to the motel? Let's pack up and get the hell outa here."

Courtney took his arm again, helping to guide him outside. "We already have all the bags, Stalker packed up your rifle. We're going to get into Ted and I'll drive us to the airport."

He sighed at her. "Yer gonna go slow right? I don't wanna puke inna car and my head still hurts." She patted him and he sighed.

Stalker made certain he was settled in before he climbed into the back seat. "Beach, man, I'm sorry I wasn't there. I still feel that if I had..."

Beach twisted to look, winced and put a hand on the side of his head with it's bandaging, and spoke without facing his friend. "Don't be an idiot. There's nothin' you woulda been able to do. Worst would have been if'n you got in the way and got shot yerself. What good would that have done? You ain't gotta hard skull like me."

Covergirl started off at a sedate speed, carefully braking early so she didn't slam the car to her usual skidding stops. Beach grumbled at her over it. "You ain't gotta drive like a grandma Barbiedoll. I ain't a complete invalid."

She looked over and raised an eyebrow before stepping on the gas hard. He slung back slightly, yelped and held his head in both hands as she slowed back down and smirked. "Sorry Wayne, just trying to make you happy."

He groaned. "Yer such a complete bitch some times."

She smiled again. "I'm only trying to keep up with your level of bitchy, your Sergeant major-ness. You just set a high standard." Stalker laughed from the back seat and she set her eyes on the highway as she merged smoothly into the slow lane, sighing at the need to stay at a sedate speed.

Beach took in the sight of the edge of Fort Benning receding in the distance. "Damn... sometimes I miss it." Courtney glanced at him and he rushed to add. "Not that I'd want to come back and just up and leave GI Joe. But... I wasn't hated by everyone on Benning. Not like Joe."

Stalker put a hand on Beach's shoulder. "Everyone doesn't hate you. Sure, most of us hate the drill instructor screaming in our ears first thing in the mornings. But that doesn't mean we hate _Beachhead_. You know what I mean?"

"No, cause that don't make a lick of sense! I am the drill so you guys hate me." Beach sounded a little sullen. "Ain't like I care no how. Go ahead and hate me."

Courtney tried herself. "Beach... we don't hate the person, we hate the position. When you're screaming at us, making us run twice the normal distance or carry ninety-pound field packs, we all hate the drill instructor that's making us do all that before we've even had breakfast. But afterwards, we all kind of appreciate Beachhead that works so hard to make us stay in the best shape ever."

Beach mulled that over and Stalker nodded. "Yeah, Beachhead might be a hardass, but he's doing it for our own good. Doesn't make us any happier to be rousted out of bed at ungodly hours to run an obstacle course in the rain in full battle gear. But we do understand that it's to make us better. And most of us, the smart ones anyway, appreciate it." Pausing a moment, the dark-skinned Ranger continued with a grin. "Well, we appreciate it when we're not applying liniment to all the bruises and sore muscles."

Courtney's voice went quiet. "I'd understand if you did want to transfer back to Benning though." She looked over at him. "You know, I'd request a transfer to come with you." Her gaze held his for only a few seconds before it went back to the road but it felt like a eternity to Beach.

He took a deep breath. "Hell no. If'n you came to Benning what would you do? Sit at a desk and type up reports? You'd be miserable." He gingerly shook his head. "Naw, I gotta stay with Joe. Besides, Hawk asked me to join up and I ain't about to go tellin' Hawk that I decided he's wrong and I don't wanna be part of his outfit no more."

Stalker shivered. "Yeah, I don't think I'd want to go and do that either. You'd better just stick with Joe."

* * *

About to get on board their plane, the trio stood with carry-on bags slung, waiting patiently for the boarding call. The yell made them all turn.

"DITCH!" Sarge came puffing up to them, nodding politely to the other two and homing in on Beachhead. "I... I came to tell you goodbye. I wasn't going to face you.. but I couldn't stand not at least saying goodbye. I'm so sorry."

Beach took his hand and tugged him forward into a bear hug. "Hell Sarge, you couldn't have known." His voice was rough and strained. "Benny was a good man. Dunno when he went wrong, but he was a damn loyal man."

Sarge covered his eyes briefly then looked at his old teammate. "Yeah well, apparently a bit too loyal. Maybe one day it'll make more sense to me, but right now, I just can't wrap my head around it all. I wanted to tell you that if you did want to transfer back to Benning, I can arrange it. I won't even be here. They're discharging me.. and well.. I think it's a good idea right now. I just don't have any heart to stick with the Army anymore. I'd just always be thinking about.. you know... am I inciting another Benny."

Beach sighed at him. "Sarge, you didn't make Benny go crazy. Sometimes it just happens. Wasn't your fault."

Sarge looked away. "Well, whatever. Anyway, I wanted to put the offer out there. I can pull the strings, one last request before I retire and opt out. No way would they refuse it if I made the request part of the deal. The Benning Rangers could really use a good instructor and another combat Ranger."

Beachhead blinked and thought it over, remembering the comradeship between the training cadre, the thrill of pushing new eager recruits through the Ranger courses, and the brothers in arms when he served in Ranger combat units. Then he turned and gazed thoughtfully at his two Joe teammates who were studying the walls of the terminal intently, giving him full opportunity to make his choices in private without their influences.

He looked at his old squad leader and smiled, holding out a hand for him to shake. "Sarge, I gotta say, it's a temptin' offer... but I got a place I'm needed right now." He hesitated and then added, "And a place I'm wanted too." He turned loose of Sarge's hand. "You take care. Contact me if you ever need anything at all, okay?" Picked up his bag to sling onto his shoulder, he turned aside to rejoin his two friends. "I gotta plane to catch back home."

* * *

The End

Yes, the end of the whole fic. I hope it's been a entertaining read. This was my first attempt at a mystery and a new style of setting up a plotline prior to writing the actual story, and I am rather pleased with the effects. Thank you to everyone who posted a review, and remember that authors love to hear when you liked a story! Don't be afraid to post on the fics you read on ! Even if it's a "I liked it" comment, that helps the author know what his/her readers think!

Thank you to everyone who answered quiz trivia correctly(or incorrectly!) and I hope that I got all the names into the fic. If I missed one of yours, it's because my laptop failed partway through and I lost most of the infomation, resulting in endless rewriting and hunting down information. I assure you it was not deliberate! I think I got most of them used, but if I missed yours, please don't hesitate to PM me to say so and I'll try to use it in a later fic!

Until I think of something new to write, I bid you adieu.

* * *

Rangers are tougher and stronger,

Than any mere mortal should be,

They climb over hills and large mountains,

And keep all America free!

** short chorus written by river! Thanks River for listening to all my rambling about the fic!

* * *

Just because I think it's relevant to anyone who likes Army Rangers, here is the official Army Ranger creed, copied from the U.S. Army Ranger manual(all rights reserved).

The Ranger Creed was written by Command Sergeant Major Gentry, HHC 75th Rangers, in 1974. Today it is recited by Rangers during upon graduation from Ranger school, change of command ceremonies, and physical training.

I. Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession. I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high "esprit de corps" of my Ranger Regiment.

II. Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air. I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.

III. Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One hundred percent and then some

IV. Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

V. Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country- I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

VI. Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor


End file.
